Broken Heart Girl
by everythingisok
Summary: With a past haunting her, 17 year old Ana escapes out of the abusive clutches of her foster home ran by Steve Morton. How will she survive? What will happen when she stumbles into Esclava? Christian is a 22 year old, full time CEO. What happens when Elena introduces him to a new submissive? This is a story about heartbreak, hope, love, and happiness. Dark story. No cheating. HEA.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: Ok, so when this story first popped into my head, I knew it was greatly influenced by some other brilliant stories. I have read so many stories where Ana is a sub and I feel like all of them played a little part in this story or at least inspired me to write this. The main stories that influenced this is Lanieloveu's** _ **A Desperate Act**_ **and Itsastrangeday's** _ **Guilty Conscience.**_ **I am just stating here, you are going to see similarities, although i changed it as much as I possibly can. I'm also going to list some other stories which are my favorites that inspired this story. 50-CG-AS-fan's** _ **Fifty Shades: Submission and Strength,**_ **Queen bee's** _ **Down the Rabbit Hole,**_ **infamouschelsea's** _ **Maitrese,**_ **Phileanis's** _ **Darker Side of Love.**_ **They are all BRILLIANT, and if you ever want a good story, any one of these are an excellent read.**

 **Ok, I'm finally done ;) Enjoy**

 **Chapter 1-The Girl who Escaped**

Darkness settled over the night as Ana clutched her too-thin jacket tighter around herself. _How was she going to survive? Where could she go?_

Ana really didn't think this through. She had no place to go, and the extra piece of toast she took could only last her for so long, but she couldn't go back.

No, Steve will be waiting.

Ana watched as the last rays of sun disappeared bit by bit, leaving darkness in their path.

She needed to find some place safe.

Quick.

She starts running. She knew a place, but her heart shattered when her hands pulled against the dead-bolted door of St. Anthony's.

The sun has completely set.

She needed to find some other place.

Quick. Quick. Quick.

Her legs start moving as she rounds the corner. She heard the thump-a-dump beating of her heart and came across a building she knew well.

It was her old home. Her home when Ray was with her.

Ana didn't know if the building had other inhabitants. It has gotten beaten up over the years. The roof is at a slant and the staircase leading up to the front porch is crumpled. It wasn't her old home anymore, it's probably a base for some homeless gang, but it's the only choice she had. Ana picks up an empty glass bottle as a weapon. The door creaks a pitiful sound as she pushes it open.

Thankfully, no one's home.

Ana sees the faded pink spot on her childhood wall as she curls up on her worn out bed that's now collapsed. Somehow, she finds solace in the broken springs of the mattress.

She takes out her toast and nibbles on it, saving half for tomorrow.

 _It was going to be a long day..._

Night comes and goes, and Ana doesn't sleep well. The pit in her stomach constantly reminded her that she needed to find food.

Taking a deep breath, Ana bids farewell to her old home. It wasn't safe to stay at the same place.

 _They might find her._

Her heavy footsteps took her to the only grocery store in the whole neighborhood, seven-eleven.

She really was going to do this.

Steal.

Pretending to be nonchalant, Ana raises her chin and acts like she's just a regular shopper going on a monday stroll. Her eyes quickly scan each aisle, searching for carbs. Carbs will be able to last her the longest.

She spots a bag of classic white wonder bread. Carefully, she tucks it into her coat before speed walking out of the store. A man gives her a disapproving glance but says nothing.

Ana finally stops after she's a good distance away. Sweat mars her brows and she wipes her palms against herself. She has never been so nervous. Of course, she didn't want to steal.

 _But fate leaves her no choice._

She checks the price.

$3.49.

Ana makes a mental note to herself that she will pay them back one day if she could.

Soon, she finds herself sitting down and tearing into the bread, eating a whole five pieces. _Food has never tasted so good..._

It's just now that Ana starts taking in the appearance of her surroundings. She has entered the worst part of Seattle. Broken buildings lined with graffiti and vacant warehouses surround her. The sky is a dusty grey, and Ana thinks she hears the lonely croaking of a bird.

She pulls her jacket tighter around herself.

 _She has to leave. She has to find safety._

Quick. Quick. Quick.

That night, Ana finds an empty church where she slept under the pews. The abandoned statue of Joseph was her only comfort.

He reminded her of Ray.

Tears prick Ana's eyes but she quickly dashes them away. _Ray died. It wouldn't do her any good to dwell on the past, because the past was simply that, the past, something no longer here._

Still, stubborn tears drip down Ana's cheek. She asked Ray to pray for her. Ana didn't believe in God, but she believed in Ray.

So, just like that, Ana spent the next week wondering from place to place in Seattle. She never spent more than two nights in the same place; she had no idea if Steve was looking for her, but she couldn't take any chances. She also stole another two loafs of bread and started a tally on a crumpled up piece of paper.

 _Classic white wonder bread, seven eleven, $3.49_

 _Old country wheat bread, Clayton's, $4.19_

 _Brown Berry wheat bread, Walmart, $3.99_

 _Maybe one day she'll be able to pay them back._

The sun has started to set again, and Ana grew nervous. She always hated it when the sun retrieved back to the other side of the earth. _Perhaps, they were happier over there._

Ana started her usual routine of looking for a safe place. Perhaps there was an empty hospital or broken building.

Instinctually, Ana touches the sharp blade of the knife in her back pocket. She has found it laying on the street one day and gladly picked it up. _It was her only defense in this cruel, lonely world._

"Hey there, pretty girl." A voice has Ana jumping backwards several steps as shivers travel through her body.

Ana turns around. In front of her is a guy; he has a cross tattooed underneath each eye and his short, spiky hair stood at their roots. He was a good three sizes bigger and his muscles rippled underneath his shirt.

Ana takes a step backward.

He takes a step forward.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all alone?" He purrs as goosebumps form up and down Ana's arm.

Her fingers curl around the knife as she continues to back away.

"I…I…don't want any…trouble...I was just about to leave." Ana stutters, failing to make her voice sound confident.

A salacious grin creeps across the man's face. "Oh trust me, you're not going anywhere." The edge of his lips turn up in snarl.

That's all it takes for Ana to turn around and bolt.

She hears hoops and hollers and chanting behind her. _Oh God, there was more than one of them._

She runs faster, pushing her legs to their maximum capacity as she sprints down the streets of Seattle and her lungs wheeze for air as she feels her blood pulsing through her.

"Catch the cunt! Catch the cunt! Catch the cunt!" the leader of the gang shouts as the others cheer.

Ana's legs turn into wobbly noodle and she knew she wouldn't be able to outlast them. They were much too strong.

 _They were lions, and she was the rabbit._

As she continues to run, her surrounding became more and more modern. Fancy restaurants replaced broken glass and the city lights started to illuminate the night sky.

Ana knew she was almost safe. If she could only run a little longer, but her strength was starting to dwindle and she stumbles several times. She can hear their heavy footsteps pounding on the pavement behind her.

Without thinking, Ana runs into the first store she sees.

 _Esclava._

She would be safe here. She holds her breath a little longer as she watches the gang run past her. And unable to withstand any more, her body collapses on the ground, surrendering to all of her pain, as their footsteps fade away.

XXXXXXXXXX

A bright, florescent light blinds Ana's eyes as she starts to slip back into consciousness. She sits up and looks around. It was like she was in some science lab. Blank, white walls cover each side of the room, and she was lying on what seems to be a waxing bed. The air smelled with an awful flowery scent, and Ana crinkles her nose. She notices with detached interest that someone dressed her in a white bathrobe.

 _Where were her normal clothes?_

Just as Ana starts to sit up, the door swing open. A lady walks in, and Ana's immediate reaction is that she is gorgeous, although old.

Her blonde hair is pulled back in an elegant bun, and she's wearing a bright, red lip. She gives Ana a tight smile.

 _There are daggers in men's smiles…_

Ana can tell her smile is Botox-injected as her face creases unnaturally. The lady walks over, her heels clicking across the marble floor. Ana grew nervous and started to back away.

"I'm…sorry...I didn't…didn't…mean to come in here. I…I…" Ana doesn't get to finish her sentence as the lady presses two fingers against her lips, silencing her.

"Shush, my child, there's no need to be afraid."

 _A shiver travels down Ana's back and neck, and she knew, right away, that the lady is not to be trusted._

"What do…you want?" Ana continues to stutter, backing herself all the way in the corner.

The lady curls her lips up into a witches smile. "What I want is very simple. I have a deal for you since it's very obvious you have nowhere to go."

Ana stares down at her dirty hands covered with bruises and scrapes, and her gaze travels over her own skinny, nude body under the robe.

 _She's right; Ana didn't have anywhere to go._

Ana looks up at the lady who's patiently waiting for an answer. "What could you possibly want from me? I don't even know your name." She whispers, blue eyes betraying her own fear. _Whatever the lady wanted couldn't possibly be good..._

The lady smiles vexingly at Ana. "My name is not important since you will not be calling me by name, but if you have to know; it's Elena. As for what I want, you will understand that soon enough. Come, follow me." She says.

Ana gingerly gets up; her bare feet are cold against the tiled floor as she follows Elena down a flight of stairs leading from the back of the room. It was a staircase unlike any other. It wasn't the Cinderella staircase that led to the ball and it wasn't the staircase that led to the cold, dark attack either. It was long and winding, almost as if one were in a haunted house. The walls were smeared a blood red, and the staircase itself was black, creating a lethal combination. Ana needed to watch her step because of the wide gaps between the stairs. Her feet seemed to stick to the cold, black ground and she had trouble moving her legs. Her stomach tied itself into multiple knots. She was the rabbit being led into the lion's den...

They stop in front of a heavy, metal door, and the lady pulls out a key. "Now, just so we're on the same page, you will refer to me as mistress from now on. You can always refuse this deal, but just remember something…" At this, Elena steps forward, effectively trapping the shivering, little girl against the wall and her eyes turn an icy shade of black. "…Just remember, you have nowhere to go. You came from the streets, and child, let me put it this way, the streets are not a safe place. Do you know what would've happened if you were caught last night?

Ana gulped and nodded.

She knew full well that the streets were dangerous. Any time, any day, she could be captured and sold into drugs or human trafficking. If she was caught, the consequences were inimaginable.

Elena takes another step forward, and Ana felt her breath against her ear. She couldn't stop herself from shaking. "You don't want to go back out there, do you?" Elena asks, and Ana furiously shakes her head.

This seems to please Elena as she continues to push Ana against the wall. "I don't want to send you back out there either, but I will if I have to. Is that understood?" Elena hisses.

"Yes…mis…mistress…" Ana whispers, her body rigid from fear.

"Good, now that's taken care of." Elena says, clapping her hands and smiling as she releases her grip on Ana.

 _And it's just now that Ana clearly saw the dagger hidden within Elena's smile._

Elena unlocks the door, and Ana steps in. Red walls flooded her view and Ana's shaking grew even more violent as she takes in the sight of the dungeon before her.

There were racks, racks upon racks of canes and cats and whips and belts. They seem to occupy every corner of the room.

There were also cages, actual cages.

 _Human sized cages._

Ana felt like throwing up.

However, the centerpiece of the dungeon was a black cross, its mahogany black contrasted against the red of the walls. Ana also notices shingles and ropes bounded all across the ceiling.

 _Oh god, they were for suspension._ Ana realizes as dread fills every inch of her body.

Elena gives her a few moments to take everything in before signaling Ana to the back of the room where there's a small office.

Ana's legs seem like unsupportive beams as they buckle underneath her so she's sitting in front of Elena.

 _Maybe living on the street was the better option…_

As this thought enters her mind, Ana quickly shakes her head. No, it wasn't. She had no chance of surviving out there, and Steve might be looking for her. It would be worse if she went back.

Elena drums her long, pointed, black nails against the desk. "I know this is a lot, but like I said, you can leave at any time, I'm not stopping you." She grins another one of those eerie, dagger-hiding grins that Ana couldn't figure out. It's as if she knew Ana had no other choice.

Ana didn't trust her own voice, so she just nodded, indicating her consent.

"I have a friend…" Elena begins, and Ana knew then that she was somehow, someway going to end of in this "friend's" possession.

Elena continues. "He's very strict, but if you play your cards right, he can also be very generous. I know you don't have a way of income, and he'll be easily able to support you financially, all you have to do is…" The silence weighed like a hundred pound brick in the room and before Ana knew it she answered Elena's unasked question.

"Agree to be his submissive." She finishes the sentence.

XXXXXXXXXX

 **Christian:**

It was another day at GEH, and Christian walks in with his freshly brewed coffee while setting down his briefcase.

He starts flipping through a file about a publishing company Ros had her eyes on. It wasn't very big, but it had potential. He skims the background check of their CEO, Jack Hyde.

 _18 different assistance in the last year…_

Well, that will certainly have to change. Christian thinks to himself as he marks the page with a red pen.

Andrea knocks on the door. She was blushing slightly. _Why did her boss have to be so god-damn, freaking handsome._ But Andrea knew that their relationship was and only will be professional.

"Mr. Grey," She says, composing herself. "Elena Lincoln wants to talk with you." She says as she frowns slightly. She never liked Elena. Something about the lady rubbed her the wrong way.

Christian looks up, both his eyebrows pulled together. "What does she want?" He snaps. He was not in the mood to deal with his ex-mistress. She can be downright cruel. However, Christian was indebted to her.

Andrea lowers her eyes, startled at her boss's outburst. "I don't know Mr. Grey. She said something about a new girl?" Andrea whispers.

Christian never told Andrea about his relationships, but over the years, Andrea has formulated some guesses. It really wasn't that hard to tell based on some of the girls her boss interviewed, which is one of the reason why Andrea knew she could never be with Mr. Grey.

Christian softens his features as he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry Andrea, I didn't mean to snap. Send her in please."

"Yes sir." She whispers and beats a hasty retreat.

As soon as Andrea leaves, Elena strides in. She's wearing her fake, Botox smile as she walks up and kisses Christian on the cheek as if greeting an old friend.

Christian does his best to hide his disgust as he "air kisses" her back.

"Elena." He greets coolly.

"Christian dear, why the cold shoulder?" Elena asks in a velvety tone, but Christian dismisses her.

"I'm a very busy man. What can I do for you?" He responds in his usual, brisk CEO persona.

Elena doesn't let Christian's reaction bother her as she tries a different approach. "Well, Leila left. I heard she wanted more." Elena says, ticking her tongue as if it's the most unbelievable thing.

Christian rolls his eyes. _Not this again…_

"We separated on friendly terms, you know this." He says, hoping she would hurry the hell up. He didn't have all day to play games.

Elena can tell by Christian's demeanor that he's not interested in actual conversation. She sighs and decides to cut to the point as to why she's actually here.

"I have a new girl for you." She explains as Christian lifts one eyebrow, now intrigued. Elena continues. "Although, she's kind of special. She comes from an unusual background."

Christian signals her to go on, and Elena takes out a folder. "Here's her background check, have a look for yourself."

Christian's calculating grey eyes scan over the material and a frown tugs on his lips. "Elena, she's 17. She's a child. Why the fuck would you even suggest this. I'm not a pedophile."

 _Like you._

Elena rolls her eyes. "Stop being so overly dramatic. She is 17, yes, but her birthday is in a month, and you're only 22 yourself. Plus, we turned out just fine…"

Christian keeps his frown present. "Ok, regardless of her age. She's clearly not fit to be a submissive. It says here that she just escaped from foster care. You know I don't deal with newbies, and I doubt she's submissive material."

Elena pretends to be disinterested in what Christian's saying as she starts to file her nails, knowing this tactic will annoy Christian. "Ok, your choice. I guess I'll have to send her back into the streets. I hope that gang doesn't get her."

Christian's body goes rigid.

"What gang?"

Elena gives Christian a disbelieving look. "You can't be serious Christian. You know how dangerous the streets are, but it's not like I can keep her…" she says. Her annoying nail filer moving back and forth against her polished nails.

Christian tenses, and for a second he can't think or move. _Wasn't his mother owned by a gang?_

Elena gets up and starts to leave. She purposefully slows her footsteps, knowing Christian's going stop her any minute.

"Wait." _And he complies._

"Yes?" Elena asks a little too nicely as she turns around and stares at Christian.

"Tell me more." Christian demands.

A ghost of a smile crosses Elena's face. She knew she got her wish. It's very funny how easy it was to control Christian. She knew Christian, knew his pains and self-doubts. And like careful poker cards, played every one against him. He was hers to control, her personal puppy.

And the magic of this trick was, he thought he was the one in control.

He thought he was the dominator.

Elena walks back, her black heels making the click-a-dee-click sound against the floor. She sits down and elegantly crosses her legs while flipping through Ana's background check once again.

"Her name is Anastasia Steele. Her step father died when she was ten, and it seems she doesn't have a mother." Elena makes sure to include this crucial piece of information. This will definitely bother Christian. "She lived in foster care but for some unbeknown reason, ran away. I was just cleaning up the solons one day when I found her passed out in my shop. Some gang was chasing her. Poor thing." Elena fakes a sympathetic frown.

"Anyway, I offered her a deal, and needless to say, she agreed." Elena says, taking out Ana's signed contract. Christian stares at the piece of paper in horror. _She had no other choice but to sign…_

Elena continues, ignoring Christian's bewilderment. "Don't worry about her being inexperienced, I already trained her."

This startles Christian. "You what?" He felt like he lost his breath.

Christian's reaction doesn't faze Elena one bit as she nods her head proudly. "Yep, I checked her over. She takes the pain like a champ."

Christian felt sick. Completely, utterly sick.

He forces the lump back down his throat. "What do you want me to do? I can't possibly help her. Does she need money? I'd be happy to set up an account for her." Christian begins rambling, unable to react. He would do anything to help her, but he isn't what she needed. A BDSM relationship wasn't what she needed.

Elena knew this was the hard part. Christian's heart was simply too good. There was no way he'd take someone who wasn't 100% willing. But Elena needed to convince Christian that he could help Ana by keeping her his submissive. This way, as long as he kept Ana, he'll keep her too. This was Elena's way of staying in control.

"Christian, darling." Elena sooths, running her hands across Christian's arm but he jerks his hand away. "You can be what she needs." Elena purrs, appearing to Christian's ego.

"What the fuck are you talking about? She needs help, professional help." Christian tallies back.

"Yes, and you needed help too when you were young." Elena continues to coo.

Christian shakes his head. "That was different."

Elena tunes Christian out. "How is this different? Christian, you can help her like I helped you. She's obviously a troubled teen, and you can teach her how to channel her anger and hurt. Teach her discipline, and she will one day thank you." Elena says, sounding like her old self, a person Christian knew very well when he was fifteen.

Christian sighs, running both hands through his hair. _What Elena's saying made sense. She did help him, and he had her to thank for what he had today. Maybe he could help her, encourage her to go to college or something. And he just didn't have the heart to leave her with Elena so she could send her back to where she came from. Living with him couldn't be that bad. She would have a roof over her head, food in her stomach, and she will also be protected. And maybe, just maybe, he would be able to help her._

"Look, if you're really that concerned about her age, you can wait till she's eighteen, and you're only four years older." Elena tries to mollify Christian some more.

"Ok, I'll meet her." Christian finally, warily agrees.

Elena smiles sweetly, Christian was easy to manipulate.

 **Next part: Christian meets Ana…**

 **Reviews/PMs are very, very much appreciated lol (I promise to respond to all of them). Tell me what you thought…**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2-Meeting Anastasia**

"Good morning, Mr. Grey." Andrea greets Christian as he steps off the elevator and gives him her warmest smile.

"Get me two cups of coffee." Christian barks, not nodding his usual acknowledgment.

Andrea frowns. She wonders what's chewing at her boss this morning. Despite what others may think, Christian can be very caring.

She scurries off and grabs two black coffees. Christian has always preferred black coffee, no cream, no sugar.

 _Maybe he's so bitter because he drinks bitter coffee._ Andrea thinks to herself.

She clutches his schedule under her arm as she carefully sets the coffee cups down.

"Mr. Grey, you have an executive board meeting in half an hour. And Ros requested to see you, as well as your PR. You also have a meeting with Mr. Kennedy at 3 in the afternoon..." Andrea starts rattling off Christian's schedule but stops when she sees his last meeting."and…um...it says here that Mrs. Lincoln would be coming at 4?" Andrea's voice grew quieter and Christian looks up.

He gives her a small smile in order to placate her. "Don't worry Andrea, it's just something about the solons." Christian reassures her even though they both know he's lying.

Andrea nods, fidgeting with the buttons on her sleeves. Her boss will always intimidate her. "Is that all for now, Mr. Grey?" she asks and Christian nods, dismissing her.

Christian harshly pinches the bridge of his nose as he scrunches up his face. He tried. He tried to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He tried to focus on work instead of Elena. He tried not to worry about Ana who he was going to meet for the first time.

Of course, Christian was never nervous to meet his subs. He was the dominant for crying out loud. But what do you say to a girl who has been exchanged for some monetary value? It turns out, Elena not only wanted Christian to take Ana as his submissive, but in exchange, she also wanted money. Christian didn't have to give her the money nor did he have to take Ana, but he couldn't allow Elena to toss Ana back out on the streets.

In his heart, Christian still had doubts about keeping Ana. However, Elena assured and reassured him that he could be what she needs, that he could help her the way she helped him, and that there was nothing to worry about. Christian trusted Elena. After all, she was his only friend. But Christian promised himself, he wouldn't lay a hand on her until she turned eighteen. Even then, Christian would make sure that she was 100% ok with everything. He was no pedophile, and he promised himself, he will never stoop to that level.

Christian shakes his head. _What was he thinking? He needed to focus._

The dreaded knock sounds against his mahogany door.

Christian allows himself to briefly close his eyes before reopening them and facing Elena. She was her old self, dressed in impeccable black and wearing sky-high louboutin. Christian's attention doesn't last long on her as he turns his gaze towards the young girl following Elena.

Her head was bowed, and Christian tries to catch a look at her face, but her eyes remained glued to the floor. Christian frowns when he sees how small she actually is. She didn't look 17, more like 15. The trench coat she was wearing dragged on the floor and her brown curls drape lifelessly down her face. She was a ghost.

And what happened next, Christian could've never prepared himself for. Elena's heel comes and kicks Ana in the shins as the small girl falls on her knees.

"What did I tell you?" Elena hisses at her, and Christian sees two big tears roll down Ana's cheek. He wanted to do something, anything, but his body was stunned to silence. All he could do was sit and watch as the skinny girl striped off her coat and resumed her position on the floor. Back straight, palms flat, head bowed. The position he always demanded his submissives to be in. She was naked except for a pair of baby blue panties, another thing Christian liked. But right now, nothing disturbed him more.

The first thing that catches Christian's eyes are her ribs. He could see her whole rib cage even from where he was sitting. Her stomach was sucked in and her arms were so fragile that they looked like they could snap if the wind blew a little too harshly. Her skin was a pale washed white, suggesting malnourishment. Christian felt his heart ache. She was hungry. Nobody deserved to be hungry. _Nobody._

"What would you like me to do Master?" The girl whispers. Her voice is so soft that Christian could hardly hear her.

Christian gives Elena a confused and hurt look. _How? How could she demean someone like this? Was she always this cruel?_ Elena's only response is a little shrug.

 _Yes, she was always this cruel._

All Christian wanted to do was get up and embrace Ana in hug, tell her everything was ok, and wipe her tears. But he couldn't, not when Elena was here.

Elena has always accused Christian of being weak. She said his heart was too good, and that it will turn him into nothing but a stupid fool. Christian desperately wanted to convince Elena that he wasn't weak, that he was the boy she trained him to be, that he could make her proud. So, Christian couldn't. He couldn't let Elena down. He had to play the role of the heartless boy, at least until she left.

"Elena, I think that would be it for now." Christian says in a composed voice, something he has mastered in CEO board meetings.

Elena rolls her eyes. "Oh Christian, don't be so curt. What do you think?" Elena asks as if Ana wasn't kneeling right there on the floor before them.

Christian glances at Ana again. Tears continue to drip off her chin, and her fragile body was shaking violently. Her breathing was labored as she lets out a couple little sobs. Ana didn't want to cry. She wanted to remain strong, but she felt so weak and humiliated that she couldn't help the tears that escaped her eyes.

Christian ignores Elena's question. "I don't remember having to report my opinions to you. Now, I asked if you would please leave. I want some alone time with Ana." The only reason he added the last part was because he knew it would work.

A look of understanding comes across Elena's face. "Ahh, I see. Please, enjoy yourself." She says and with a wink, strides out the door.

Now that Christian has finally gotten rid of Elena, he gets up and rushes to Ana's side. The poor girl's shaking grew even more violent and tears streamed down her face, collecting in a little puddle by her knees. It's just now that Christian saw the light, pink lines crisscrossing over and down her back. They were cane welts. Christian felt his heart hurt. _Physically hurt._

But something else catches Christian's eyes, her back wasn't only covered by cane welts. By the top of her shoulder, there was an old gash that traveled from the right of her shoulder blade down to the middle of her back. The cut wasn't fresh, Christian can tell by the scarring. There was also another one on her lower stomach. Who _could_ do this? Who _would_ do this?

Ana screwed her eyes shut. She didn't know what she was expecting. Maybe he would grab or yank her, maybe he would fuck or slap her… She closes her eyes, trying to prepare herself for the assault, but what happened next, Ana would never forget. She felt sort of a downy fabric gently press against her cheek.

Startled, she opens her eyes. Christian was crouched in front of her, and in his hand was a handkerchief. He was dabbing away her tears with the soft fabric. "Don't cry, sweetheart." He murmurs as he continues to wipe her tears.

The sweet gesture just made Ana cry harder. "I'm…sorry…." She hiccups but Christian just hushes her.

"shhh…sshhh…you're alright. It's ok. I promise." His voice was kind and warm like Ray's, and Ana stared into his dusky grey eyes filled with sadness. Ana didn't know why he was sad, but he was.

He remained crouched before her. He didn't say much, just continued to pat her eyes dry. And when Ana's tears finally ran out and her breathing calmed, he helped her up. Her knees hurt because of the cold, marble ground. Christian brushes his hands against them. His palms were rough and warm.

Ana was still naked except for her panties, and Christian seems to realize this as he tears off his jacket. Ana lifts her arms as he dresses her in it. Elena has taken away her trench coat and left Ana naked in his office. His jacket was much too big on her and served more as a dress, which was probably a good thing.

Ana felt a sense of serene safety wash over her as Christian's body heat emanated off of the Italian leather, warming her. She gives him a small smile.

He smiles back.

"How about you try to rest a bit? I'll go find you a blanket." Christian says, pointing to the sofa in his office and tucking his handkerchief in Ana's hands for future use. Ana admires his delicate initials embroidered at the lower right bottom of the white fabric.

Ana gratefully agrees and curls herself in a ball as Christian drapes a woolen blanket around her.

 _Master was kind._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Andrea." Christian calls as the blonde comes scurrying towards him. "Yes, Mr. Grey?" She asks. She was curious about the new girl. She even tried to press her ear against Mr. Grey's door to eve drop, but the room was sound proof.

She looks up at her boss, and for the first time, he looks exhausted. Dark circles gather under his eyes and his hair is a mess, probably from him tugging on it.

Christian gestures toward his door and cracks it open. Andrea peeks in at the small girl curled up on his couch who seemed to be sound asleep.

Andrea pulls her eyebrows together as she stares at her boss perplexed. She signed an NDA and everything when she first started working for him, but still, Christian rarely told her anything.

Christian rubs his face. "Can I ask a favor?" he says, sounding out of place.

Andrea tries to hide her surprise as she gathers herself. "Of course, Mr. Grey. What can I do?"

"I need you to go out and buy some clothes for her. I don't know her size, but I'm guessing she's an extra small. Her bra size is probably an A…"

"Sir?" Andrea was getting confused.

Christian rubs his face again. "Look, I know this is weird and fucked up and the real story is much too complicated, but long story short, Elena took her clothes, and I can't take her home dressed in only my jacket." Christian explains, grey eyes pleading.

Normally, he would ask Taylor. But he was busy with Barney trying to figure out a new security system for the fucking computers.

Andrea took the piece of information Christian gave her and acquiesced. Her boss needed help and he must be out of sorts to ask her this. Andrea also felt bad for the girl. She was skinny, malnourished, naked and clearly terrified. Her small body was curled in fetal position on the couch, not even taking up a third of the room she had.

"What clothes should I buy, Mr. Grey?" Andrea asked.

Christian shrugs. "I don't know. Jeans or sweatshirts, something comfortable. Oh and…" He pulls out his maxi-card, handing it to Andrea. "And get something for yourself as well, anything you want." He says before disappearing back in his office.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was late in the afternoon and the last ray of sun has just set when Ana opened her eyes. She was still in Christian's office, unharmed and untouched. The woolen blanket was tucked snug around her. She hears the sound of fingers clattering against a keyboard.

Christian was working through the pile of documents on his desk when he caught Ana staring at him. "Good morning, sleepyhead." He teases but feels bad when she shrinks back.

"I'm…sorry…I didn't mean to oversleep." Ana whispers, waiting for some kind of outburst. Instinctually, she closes her eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey…It's ok. I'm not mad. You needed sleep and I was just finishing up work." Christian's kind voice coaxed her to reopen her eyes.

 _God, his eyes._ Ana thought as Christian comes close to her. They were such a gorgeous shade of grey, with equal portions of beauty and sadness embedded within. They were the type of eyes you trusted when you gazed into them. You can see both their beauty and vulnerability.

"Here. I brought some clothes for you." Christian says as he puts the clothes Andrea brought in Ana's lap. Christian also gets up and fumbles in his drawers until he pulls out a little bottle of cream. "Oh, and here's arnica cream. It's…um…soothing for the skin." He mumbles, gesturing towards her back that still had the cane welts from Elena.

Ana gives him a sad smile. He was sweet, almost in an adorable way. "Um…I can't reach my back…" she murmurs.

There were two reasons Ana said this part. One, because she really couldn't reach her own back. Two, she just wanted to get it over with. He was going to see her naked body again, probably soon. Ana was sure that he was just pretending to be nice, that he wanted to gain her trust or something, and Ana appreciated his efforts to make her feel comfortable, but in the end, she was nothing more than his fuck toy.

"Oh…" Christian mutters, ashamed and scratching the back of his neck. "Well…I could do it…or if you wait till we get home, I can have my housekeeper, Gail, do it. She's a female." Christian cringes at how idiotic he sounds.

 _Yeah, Gail's a female! Dumbass!_

Ana gives him another small smile, but she wasn't laughing at him. "It's ok. You can do it." She whispers and start to slide his coat off herself.

"Wait." Christian stops her. "Cover yourself first." He instructs as he squeezes his eyes shut and turns around.

Ana's heart leaped at the small, simple gesture. _He was adorable, adorable in the purest of ways._

Ana quickly puts his coat on backwards so her boobs are hidden. "Ok, I'm ready now." She calls as Christian turns back around.

Christian gingerly sits down next to her. "Um…this may sting." He confesses while his finger gently ghost over and layer the arnica cream on her faded welts.

Ana shivers at his touch, her skin relenting in his dry and rough hands. The cream did sting, but nothing that she couldn't take, not even by far. She sits still as Christian applies the cream over her back, his ministrations gentle.

Christian desperately wanted to ask about the two gashes on her stomach and back since he was positive they weren't caused by Elena, but he keeps quiet. _After all, he had burn marks himself... Christian gets that somethings are better left unsaid._ Instead, Christian dabs a little bit of arnica cream on them as well. At first, Ana flinches and Christian feels guilty, but then she settles down and allows him to finish applying the cream.

Ana turns around when he's done. His eyes are down casted and he looks sort of…despondent?

"I'm sorry for the way Elena treated you. If I'd have known…I…I would've…I…I don't know…I would've done something." Christian mutters.

Christian keeps his eyes down until he felt soft, delicate fingers wrap around his hand. "Hey, it's ok. I'm ok. You don't have to apologize for anything." Ana says, giving his hand a squeeze before letting go.

Christian wonders how, how could someone who's been through so much still be as pure and strong and sweet as the girl before him. Christian could see the tears glistening in her eyes, but she was still trying to smile at him.

She was trying to smile despite her pain, and Christian knew. He knew how fake happiness was the worst type of sadness.

Christian forces himself to smile back while shoving the clothes at her once again. "Here, change into these. I'll wait outside."

The clothes Andrea brought for Ana was a pair of dark washed jeans and a snug, knit sweater. Ana couldn't help but twirl around once she's dressed. The jeans fit perfectly and the sweater was warm. She has never been this comfortable.

At this, Christian knocks on the door. He's been waiting outside as Ana changed. When Ana comes to open the door, Christian smiles at her head peeking out.

"There, you look so much better." He grins at her.

Ana gives him a shy, timid smile back. "Thank you...master." Christian almost missed her last word.

Ana felt embarrassed to say it, but Elena told her. With him, he was her master. His wish was her command, and his pleasure will always come before her pain. The sooner she accepted that, the better she'll be.

Christian's frankly not surprised at how Ana referred to him. Elena has always demanded to be called Master or Mistress. This was, no doubt, her doing.

Christian bends down a little so his tall body is level with Ana's. "Hey." He gently clasps his hand under her chin and tilts her head up.

She had the prettiest, arctic-ocean-blue eyes.

"You don't have to call me that. I'm Christian." Christian decides introducing himself would be a good place to start.

He sticks out his hand for Ana to shake.

Ana stares at his hand, shocked and perplexed. "I...um...you…" she looks up at Christian, blue eyes begging for help. She was the picture of a confused, lost puppy.

Christian smiles at her. The smile made his grey eyes twinkle, and he takes Ana's small hand in his warm palm and gives it a little shake.

"Pleasure to meet you Ana."

 **A/n-Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all the sweet and kind reviews (including Guests). I'm so happy you guys seem to be enjoying this. I've tried to respond to all the reviews, and if I missed you, my sincere apologies.**

 **I'm sorry this chapter was a bit short but i wanted to do a fast update :) What did you guys think? Reviews/suggestions/opinions are always appreciated! Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ok, so I'm so SORRY for the late update. A bunch of unexpected tests sprang up on me this week and I have just been so busy with school that I didn't really have time to write. And this chapter also gave me a huge headache because I kept on revising it (I sent my poor beta like 3 different copies of the chapter) Anyways, THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL AND KIND REVIEWS! I WAS ABSOLUTELY BLOWN AWAY BY YOUR SUPPORT And without further ado, here's chapter 3! More of kind and caring Christian ;)**

 **Chapter 3-The CEO and the Little Girl**

"You're going to eat that all. You are way too skinny." Christian's voice is gentle as Ana's blue eyes widened at the amount of food before her.

They were in a private restaurant and the antique lanterns gave off a dim glow behind the long, vacant bar. Earlier today, Christian has called the owner when Ana was sound asleep to ask if he could reserve the place for himself. Truth be told, Christian had a weird, over consuming, compulsives need to rid away the girl's too-thin rib cage. _With him, she would never have to taste the bitterness of starvation again._ Outside, streetlights flicker on and off as the rest of Seattle scurried by, eager to get home after a long day. Ana's eyes are transfixed on the black and white painting hanging in the back of the restaurant when Christian's voice pulls her from her thoughts.

In front of her was the house signature dish, _Chateaubriand steak with Béarnaise sauce_. The meat was grilled to a perfect medium rare and the gravy was artfully dribbled over. Gingerly, Ana cuts and places a piece in her mouth, savoring the salty sauce. She almost moans because of the taste, but thankfully stops herself.

Christian gives her a wide grin. "Good?" He asks, drawing a sip of wine from an elegant, burgundy glass. Ana had asked for water, but Christian ordered her orange juice instead. He said he was worried about her levels of Vitamin C. Ana was confused. _In front of her wasn't a monster, at least not the one Elena portrayed him to be._

Ana ate dinner quietly, keeping her eyes down. She was still trying to get a read on Christian. _Was he really the monster?_ In her heart, she wanted to trust Christian. She wanted to trust the way his gray eyes twinkled or how his left dimple would appear when he smiled. She wanted trust him when he gently wiped away her tears with his handkerchief. However, Elena's words echo back, _"Remember, you are nothing more than his fuck toy. You are only his temporal plaything. If you want to survive this, you will hide and lock away all of your feelings and emotions. You are not allowed to feel; you are not allowed to love; you are only allowed to serve. Your pain is his pleasure."_

Ana quickly shakes her head. _What was she thinking? Of course she couldn't trust him. She needed to remember that her job was to please him, that she was merely his submissive._ Shakily, Ana returns to her meal.

Christian doesn't say much. He wasn't good at conversations and Ana was too scared to open up. So, the two ate dinner in relative silence. Several times, Christian has caught Ana chancing quick glances at him, but every time he tried to smile back or make eye contact, her eyes would dart away as she re-focused on her food.

The restaurant was quiet, the peaceful atmosphere illuminated by the white flicker of the candle placed in the center of each table, and Ana willed herself to relax. _There wasn't anything here to hurt her; she didn't have to be afraid._ Nevertheless, Ana couldn't help her sudden wince at even the slightest noise or movements and Christian felt his heart ache. It's clear she's been abused. He could tell by the way she tiptoed her feet and her wide, skittish eyes. If there was one thing Christian understood, it was fear. Even after years of practice, the CEO still flinched at the smell of a smoke-filled cigars or the loud slam of a door. _Simply said: Once abused, always abused._

Ana was only halfway through her steak when Christian spoke up. "Ana, you need to eat that all." He softly reminded her and the little girl gulped and nodded. Ana didn't want to upset Christian. And plus, _food was so precious._ The thought of wasting it made her sick.

Ana quickly forced each piece of steak down her throat even though she could taste the bile rising. She had eaten far too much and her stomach flipped in angry protests, but still she suppresses it as she removes her napkin to show Christian she had eaten all of her food.

A small smile kisses the corners of Christian's lips when he sees her clean plate. "Good Girl." He praises, granting her his biggest-megawatt-millionaire-you-are-the-best smile. Christian may not have realized it, but the term of endearment was so sincere that it made Ana's heart flutter against her chest. It was the first form of any validation she had received in the past 7 years. However, Ana fixates her eyes on the floor, desperately trying to hide the blush that tainted her cheeks. She didn't want Christian to think she found him cute. Which, by the way, _he was._

Christian sighs at Ana's continued silence. _Somehow, he held the idiotic shred of hope that maybe she would have talked to him…but then again, It's not like Christian expected her to tell him her life story. She obviously had her own demons._

"Come on, Taylor's waiting." Christian says, his fingers gently wrapping around Ana's small hand as he lead the comatose girl outside _._ A guy with broad shoulders is standing by a Black Audi. His hands are clasped and his back is straight.

 _Military stance._

Abrupt tears prick Ana's eyes as she observes Taylor in the standard military position. _In her mind she could still see Ray standing, his hands clasped and his back straight with the smile that he could never quite suppress, as he waited for her on their front porch to come home from school._ Ana quickly dashes her tears away with the back of her hands, trying to smear away the droplets of water that fogged her vision.

Christian rests a comforting hand behind Ana's back and gently stroked her shoulders. "Come on sweetheart, slide in." he says, holding the car door open. Christian didn't understand Ana's sadness. He didn't understand why Taylor had upset her, but he felt like it was his responsibility to get her away from the unspoken sadness.

As much as she tried, Ana couldn't stop her tears from rolling down as she recognized Taylor's sunken in eyes, his stone set jawline, his calist hands, and his rigid posture. He reminded her too much of Ray whom she wished desperately was here. He would've protected her.

Christian kept Ana's hand rested in his palm, occasionally squeezing it in the hopes that he was being reassuring. "Sweetheart, does Taylor scare you?" He finally asked. _Maybe someone who looked like Taylor had abused her._ It was possible.

Ana quickly shakes her head. If anything, Taylor gave her a sense of safety.

Taylor quietly drove through the streets of Seattle as he casted worry glances at the little girl in the backseat. A stab of guilt pinches him. He didn't mean to scare her, but there was nothing he could do to soften his outward appearances. Taylor felt like he should do something, say something to make her laugh, but he was hardly a humorous man and would probably make the wrong joke. Ana reminded Taylor of his little Sophie. They both had those crystal blue eyes and pleading stare, although Ana's eyes contained something else. Briefly, Taylor wondered. _Where was her father?_

The rest of Seattle blurred past them as the black Audi sped through the rain and the fog with Taylor pressing his lips shut and Ana's hand resting in Christian's palm. Ana didn't look at either Christian or Taylor, instead she gazed out the window, trying to stifle her silent sobs.

Suddenly, a skyscraper was towering over them as if a great monolith of concrete and glass and Taylor was pulling the car into the garage.

 _Escala._

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana's fidgeted with the hem of her sweater as Christian led her through his ivory tower. Modern lights shone brightly above them, casting the cadaverous penthouse in a softer glow. The floors are a polished black that led to an open kitchen, and in the living room, leather couches form amble sitting place in front of a massive flat screen. A low thunder rumbles outside as rain started to cascade down the huge, panel glass windows.

Ana stood awkwardly in the middle of Escala as Christian went to retrieve a glass of water. The little girl seemed so small compared to the commodious penthouse. She kept her hands tightly by her sides, afraid to disturb the perfect order of Escala. Everything was in it's rightful place, pristine and shiny. There wasn't so much as an extra piece of paper laying around and a cold draft drifted through the living space.

Ana was still rooted in the same spot when she felt a familiar hand behind her back. Christian gives her his warm smile while handing her the glass of water to drink. "I think it's safe to say it's been an eventful day for both of us. Come on, time for bed." He says, gently guiding her up the polished, wooden stairs.

Ana's throat tightens and she tries to suppress the knots lodged in her stomach. This was it. She was going to have sex with Christian. She just hopes he wouldn't be too rough, she was still a virgin.

Involuntarily, her hand clutches Christian's a little tighter and Christian gives her fingers a squeeze back. They walk, hand in hand, up the long, swirling staircase. Ana begins to tremble as they turn down the hall leading to a white door. Ana wanted to cry. She wasn't ready yet.

"Hey." Christian's voice distracts her as he tucks a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. Ana gazes at his grey eyes filled with nothing but concern. Christian crouches down a bit as he continues to smooth her hair. "Sweetheart, I'm not going to hurt you." He promises but Ana doesn't believe him. Maybe she would've been able to trust him in some alternate universe.

Christian's hand remains on the top of Ana shoulders as he pushes the door open. "This is your room." He says, gesturing towards the small, white unit.

Everything was white. White walls, white carpet, white bed, and the white sofa seat looked out comfortably from the 25th window. Ana had to admit the room had a cozy feel to it despite its cold exterior. She ran her hands along the comforter, flexing her knuckles at its softness.

Christian smiles when he sees the awe in her eyes. "You may decorate this room however you like. If you need anything, leave a note for Gail. She'll get it for you."

"As for clothes and what not." Christian continues and frowns as he opens an empty closet, its bare shelves mocking him. He had completely forgotten to order a new set and Gail has cleaned out Leila's old wardrobe.

Christian keeps his frown present as he contemplates what to do.

XXXXXXXXXX

The CEO has just finished checking the last of his emails when Ana emerges from her room dressed in only his old Harvard sweatshirt and checkered boxers that swallowed her up whole. She was gnawing on her bottom lip and she looked adorable.

 _Utterly adorable._

"Hey you." Christian says. He walks up to her wanting to give her a hug but stops himself when he sees her cowering away.

Ana feels guilty. She wishes she could trust him. She wishes she could control her barely noticeable winces every time he tried to approach her. In the five hours she came to be with him, Christian has shown her more kindness than she has ever known, but still she couldn't help to instinctively back away.

Christian sighs as he runs both hands through his messy, copper hair. _What could he do that wouldn't scare her?_ Christian's flinted grey eyes scan over her once again. Her hair was still wet from the shower she just took and was a knotted, tangled mess with water globule dribbling down her back.

"Can I braid your hair?" Christian asks out of the blue, surprising Ana. She stares at him, confusion swimming in her pretty blue eyes.

"Come here." Christian coaxes while patting the spot on the couch in front of him. Hesitantly, Ana takes a tiny step forward and gingerly situates herself between Christian's legs. She could feel their strong muscle against her waist.

Christian sighs when he sees Ana's trembling fingers. He wished she wouldn't be so scared of him. He meant her no harm, but then again, maybe she was smart to keep a weary heart, Christian thought. _After all, even salt looked like sugar._

 _And Christian definitely was no sugar._

Gently, patiently, Christian brushes Ana's waist-length hair. He lowly chuckles to himself; she had beautiful, thick hair. He's so consumed in the task at hand that he doesn't even notice the bristles getting tangled in a knot. Ana lets out a sudden yelp when Christian accidentally yanked too hard.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." Christian murmurs, quickly undoing the tangle. Ana felt herself relax and lean against his strong thighs. He was so sweet and kind, and definitely too adorable for Ana to not like him. Ana has never had someone brush her hair. Ray sucked at hair and Ana always sported a pixie cut when she was little.

At this point, Christian has combed through all of her tangles and knots as he efficiently puts her hair in a long braid traveling down her back.

Ana gives him a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, master...sorry, I mean Christian…" She corrects herself.

Christian returns her smile, his grey eyes twinkling. "You're most welcome sweetheart. How about you go try and get some sleep. I'll be down here."

Ana lets out a another little yawn as she gives Christian one last smile. "Ok, goodnight Christian."

"Night sweetheart."

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian lays awake in bed, staring at his navy blue ceiling. _What was this he's feeling? How did he end up with an abused girl in his submissive bedroom?_

Christian's brain repeatedly replays all the events that happened within the last 12 hours, starting from when Elena kicked Ana to the floor. _He always knew that she was a strict Dom, but why did today feel abusive? Why did she make Ana kneel like a dog? Was it to spike his arousal? How could someone treat another human like that, much less Ana? How could she degrade, humiliate Ana like that?_

His mind travels to when he was 15 and an image flashes before his eyes. He was kneeling on her kitchen tile with laceration all over his back and a leash around his neck, cleaning her marble floor with a toothbrush.

 _Was she like that with him? Did she treat him the same way she treated Ana?_

Christian's mind continues to wonder. He thinks about Ana's background check and Ray. _God, her father died when she was 10. They didn't even find his body._ Christian thinks back to when he was 10. _What would he do if Carrick or Grace died?_

 _Devastated._

He would be devastated.

Christian couldn't imagine a life without either Grace or Carrick. They were his rock, his shoulder to cry on, his guardian angels. Christian shudders at the thought of what would've happened if Grace hadn't walk past his hospital room that one, rainy Sunday afternoon.

 _Screw guardian angel, Grace was his savior._

But not everybody gets a someone like Grace. Christian knew that he was one of the lucky ones. At this, Carrick's benevolent smile dashes past his mind. Carrick, the lawyer, the husband, and the father.

Christian can still recall the day when his training wheels came off and Carrick taught him how to ride a big boy bike.

He was about 10.

Frustrated, Christian scrunches up his face as he buries his head in his pillows. _Fuck, he was not good with emotions. Why couldn't Elena find him a proper submissive? One that was over the age of preferably 21, one that was experienced and well-endowed in the lifestyle of BDSM, one that didn't make his heart clench every time she looked at him with fear-filled eyes._

 _Why did it have to be Ana?_

Christian's so engrossed in his own thoughts that he doesn't even register the distant sound of someone vomiting. Startled, Christian leaps out of bed and runs up the stairs.

Ana's bent over the toilet, her back hunched over and her brown hair is getting in the way as she continues to hurl into the toilet. Her small body is shaking and trembling like a fucking leaf.

Christian quickly gathers her brown curls into his one hand as he starts to rub her back. At first, Ana tries to bat him away but after a while, she gives up and allows him to comfort her as she just dry heaves, each cough exhausting her body even more.

Finally, when Ana can't possibly throw up anymore and all that is left in her throat is the bitter taste of bile, Christian lets her go as she peeks at him through almond shaped eyes.

He stayed with her. He held her hair. He rubbed her back.

 _Why was he doing this?_

 _Where was the heartless Dom?_

"Sweetheart? Are you feeling better?" Christian asks, his hand never leaving her side as he gets up and fetches her a glass of water.

Ana didn't understand. She didn't understand his attentiveness or his caring nature or why he called her sweetheart. It was such a sincere name, as if one were referring to a child. Ana was expecting other names.

 _Slut. Bitch. Whore. Pet._

Christian has already decided that she was too weak to walk, so he scooped her up and carried her back to bed, helping her lean against the fluffy pillows.

He sat with her, his one foot tucked under his leg, as he draws lazy circles on her hand. Somehow, this act helps calm Ana.

"Can you tell me why you threw up? Are you not feeling well?" Christian asks after darkness has settled over the room and he could hear Ana's steady breathing.

Ana wrings her hands together as she pulls on the edge of Christian's sweatshirt.

 _Should she tell him?_

"um…I…I think I ate too much." Ana's voice was almost inaudible.

Regret flitters across Christian's face. _Of course she threw up. How could he be so unbelievingly imbecile? The girl clearly hasn't eaten anything in a while, and along comes his foolish, asshole self, demanding her to eat a 8oz steak. He was so focused on feeding her that he forgot you shouldn't overstuff someone who was use to starvation._

Christian grasps his head in his hands as he wallows in his self-stupidity. "I'm sorry." He murmurs the only phrase he could think of.

Delicate fingers slowly un-balls his fist as Ana gently pries his hand away from his face. It was the first move she made all night.

"Hey, I know you didn't do it to hurt me." Ana admits, and Christian stares at the girl drowning in his old Harvard sweatshirt, her hair in a braid and her hands still clinging to his.

 _Who is she?_

He could feel the slight tremor in her fingertips. He could feel her fear, so visceral and real that it cuts him. But to Christian, she was the bravest girl.

"I'm still sorry." Christian whispers, forcing himself to remove his body as he folds back the duvets and tucks her in.

Christian waits till she's settled under the blankets before switching off the lights and whispering in a hushed tone. "Sleep tight sweetheart."

As the dusty, twilight sky faded and night fell, Ana thinks she hears the desolate sound of a piano being played. The sound so forlorn and lonely that it sounds foreign even to her own ears.

 _But who knows? It was probably her own imagination._

 **A/N (sorry there's two) What did you guys think? I know this chapter is kind of slow but I promise it will get better (and I will work on longer/faster updates). Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**

 **Disclaimer: As I mentioned before, I know there are many fanfictions that overlap, and I certainly don't claim what I write to be** _ **completely**_ **original. I have read many, many fanfictions where Christian combs Ana's hair and where she throws up so I don't even know who to give the credit of inspiration to for this part of my chapter. Feel free to throw out names and I will add them to my credits of inspiration (I have probably read them, just forgot the names)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/n-Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all the supportive, kind reviews (including all the guests) I tried to reply to most of them, my sincere apologies if I accidentally missed you ;) All mistakes are on me.**

 **Chapter 4 - Learning to trust**

" _Every morning you are to kneel by his bed and wait for him to wake up. You will serve him however he pleases. Your back must be straight, you palms on your knees, and your head must be bowed. If you fail to do so, you will be punished accordingly."_

Ana has been churning these two sentences over and over in her brain as she watches the morning twilight fade away, running her fingers along the soft edge of the comforter. She had a towel wound around her and dark circles gather under her eyes due to the lack of sleep. She has already stripped herself of the clothes Christian gave her and folded them neatly at the end of the bed.

Ana's eyebrows furrow as she stares hard into the streets of Seattle, already lined with a few early pedestrians. Elena has portrayed Christian to be this horrible, wretched monster that was going to beat her black and blue after tearing her heart out, but the man who gently rubbed her back as she threw up last night was an angel. _Ana was so confused. Why was he being so nice? Why would Elena tell her one thing if he was another? Or maybe this was some sort of an act on his part?_

 _A near façade?_

At this, tears brim Ana's bright blue eyes. She already knew the answer to that. Of course it was just a stupid façade. She was only this silly, little girl who fell for his fake kindness. Just because he rubbed her back and dried her tears doesn't make her worth anything. She is still the girl he bought from Elena. Ana keeps on forgetting that he paid a physical, monetary price for her. And to think she almost trusted him. To think she almost allowed herself to hope for something better. Staring out the window, Ana reminded herself not to trust, not to hope, because after all, _disappointment is the cause of all heartache._

 _Why else would she be here? People didn't keep people out of the kindness of their hearts. Ana knew._

Taking a shaky breath, Ana slowly un-wounds the towel and lets it fall unceremoniously to the ground, revealing her naked, fragile body. _She was going to follow Elena's instructions. She was going to safe guard her heart and put away her fear in order to be the best submissive she can. Because ultimately, she needed a place to stay and food in her stomach. She couldn't last on the streets and Ana was sure that Steve was a hundred times more_ _abusive_ _. She already knew the worst of humanity so why not know a little more? Plus, he gets her submission, and she gets the chance_ _of survival_ _. It was fair. Right?_

The soles of Ana's feet stuck to the cold marble ground as she tiptoes downstairs, clinging to the railing. The huge, panel glass window in the living room mocked her nude form. Ana felt like hiding, hiding her disgraceful body filled with so much dirt. She has become the definition of a prostitute, selling herself in exchange for money. Ana sniffles several times.

Finally, the first room on the right appears before her, and carefully, very carefully, she pushes open the door, making sure the hinge doesn't squeak as she peeks her head in. Christian was asleep, his one arm effortlessly dangling from the right of the mattress as the rest of his body laid, sprawled out. Ana see his messy tuffs of copper hair sticking in every direction and the imprint of his pillow is still evident on his sleep-stained face. Soft snores penetrate the room with the navy dark walls and a glimmer of sunlight streams through the window. Vaguely, Ana thinks she see a sliver of drool trailing down his chin.

She almost smiles at how cute he looks, sleeping like a baby, but quickly banishes the thought as she kneels by his bed, head bowed, palms on knees, and back straight. Exactly as Elena instructed.

XXXXXXXXXX

The sun blinded Christian's eyes as he haphazardly rolls over, burying his face in the pillow. _Fuck, he ha_ _d_ _a 7am meeting to attend._ Christian didn't sleep well last night, his mind constantly worried about a little girl tucked away in his room upstairs.

Regardless, Christian forces himself to blink open one eye, then the other. It took a little while for his vision to adjust as the morning sun filtered through the room.

Christian very nearly jumps at what he sees. In front of him is Ana. She's kneeling, her body in the perfect submissive position, her back so straight it made a slight arch, and her hands are laid, palms down, on her lap. She's motionless, as if a statute.

Christian's eyes flicker over her body.

 _Fucking hell, she was too skinny._

 _Although beautiful…_

 _Stop that! You pervert! Don't even go there!_

Christian doesn't register what he's doing as he slips off his t-shirt and dresses her in it while placing her on his bed. He drags his sheets off as well and pulls them around her so they drape over her outstretched legs, covering her most private parts.

In that moment, Christian wasn't think about him or anyone else. His mind was solely focused on taking care of her, taking care of Ana, the broken hearted girl.

Ana refuses to meet Christian's gaze as big, remorseful tears roll down he cheeks. Gently, Christian tilts her head up.

 _Gosh, she was beautiful._

Christian knew he needed to be patient, she was just a scared, confused child, but still frustration built up within him. _Why did she insist on acting like his damn sub? Surely, he showed her yesterday that he wasn't going to hurt her?_

Taking a deep breath, Christian reaches out and thumbs away a tear. "How long have you been kneeling there?" Christian decides this will be a good place to start.

His question startles her, and long lashes sweep up at him as Ana blinks several times, her tears momentarily ceasing. "Um…I don't know…one hour?" she squeaks, unsure.

Christian works hard to squash the little bit of anger bubbling up as he mentally counts to ten. He was angry at himself. _Fuck, she's been kneeling on his ground for an entire hour, and he didn't even notice._ Finally, when Christian re-opens his eyes, they are a softer shade of grey.

Softly, carefully, Christian grasps Ana's ankles, moving her slender legs so they sat on top of his thighs. "Here, let me take a look at your knees." he says.

Ana's knees were swollen and red from the hardwood floors and Christian could see a slight bruise forming under her shin. His thumb gently traced soothing circle as the rest of his hand massaged the little spots that were sore.

The act was so simple and sweet it made Ana's heart hurt.

He was so caring, beautiful, kind, wonderful, and loving. _Why was he doing this?_ _There was nothing in her that could possibly possess this kindness, this type of goodness from him. So why?_

 _Why? Why? Why?_

"You know." Christian tries his shot at explaining his thoughts to her. "You don't have to kneel by my bed, and definitely not naked. I thought after last night, you knew I didn't expect any of that from you." Christian softly explains, his hand stilling on her knee.

"Then what do you expect of me?" Ana's voice is even softer.

Christian grew quiet as his eyebrows knit together, the well-worn creases forming along his forehead. _What does he expect from her? He didn't have an answer to that question._

The silence grew, heavy and somber, and Ana bit her lips, drawing blood. She couldn't stand this. She was right. Elena was right. She should've never let herself hope. She should've never let herself dream. She simply expected too much, and once again, she ended up with the hopelessness of heartbreak.

Ana wished Christian would stop playing games. He was acting as if he didn't pay money for her, as if she wasn't a whore. Did he really have to be that _cruel?_ Did he really have to get her to love him before destroying her?

"Why are you doing this? You don't have to pretend. I know you paid for me, I heard Elena talking to you over the phone. I know that you know my purpose is to serve you, so let's call a spade a spade and a whore a whore. You don't have to pretend to be this super nice dude in order to break my heart." Ana explodes, angry tears streaming down her face and her shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Christian's entire face sobered. And suddenly, he wasn't the Christian Ana knew; he wasn't the kind, caring Christian. He was tight jaw, frosty eyes, and Dom Christian.

"What did you call yourself?" Christian's voice was filled with authority, his tone pulled taut, and his fingernails unconsciously dug into Ana's knees.

"A…a…whore…" Ana could barely whisper the word out. Ana takes back what she said. She wanted nice Christian back.

Ana tried, she tried to be brave as Christian's teeth clenched and unclenched while his fingernails pressed harder into her already hurt knees as she whimpered, Christian doesn't seem to notice or care. He didn't realize that Dom Christian was in control as he glowered at the little girl. _How could she refer to herself in such a way? He knew that she wasn't a whore and that she was truly desperate for signing Elena's contract. He knew that she didn't have any other choice. The question was how. How could she do that to her self-worth? How could she downplay herself like that?_

"Ana, you are not allowed to speak to yourself in such a way. You're not a whore and I certainly don't see you as one. Now, if I ever hear you use derogatory language towards yourself again, I will have no choice but to spank you." Every word, every syllable was pronounced with such conviction that Ana couldn't help but coward away, wanting to curl herself up in a sad, protective little ball.

Of course, Christian didn't mean anything he said, he solely wanted to make an impression. He didn't even realize what he was saying since he often threatened his subs with punishment. This was natural for him. He wanted her to know that she wasn't a bad person just because she needed financial help, that she was incredibly brave for doing this, and that she certainly, most definitely wasn't a whore.

It's only until now that Christian notices Ana's trembling body, making little shivers, as her chest heaved with tiny sobs. She didn't want a spanking. Spankings hurt.

 _Grey, you're such a damn idiot…_

Christian's grip immediately softened as he gathers her into his arms, quietly tugging her onto his lap and tucking her head under his chin. "Sweetheart." His voice, once again, was kind and warm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He confesses, stealing the opportunity to press a quick kiss to her forehead. His lips were salty and firm.

Her small body was still tremoring as he enfolds her closer and allows her to sob in the crook of his neck. Christian plants two soft kisses along her hairline. "I'm sorry, angel." He murmurs, again, and stiffens his hold when she tries to pull away. She's no match for his strength so she just gives up, crying into his shoulders. Ana hated to admit it, but it felt good to be held.

They remained like that forever, cradled in each other's arms, and finally, when Ana's all cried out, Christian lets her go and gently brushes his thumb against her cheek, wiping away the last of the salty tracks that ran along her face.

He readjusts the sheets wrapped around her and is plagued by guilt when he sees the marks of his fingernails lodged deep in her skin. Gently, he picks up her one bruised knee and presses a kiss to it. He then repeats this process with the other. His ears perk up when this action earns him a little giggle.

Christian has kissed the ticklish part on her knee, and Ana couldn't help but laugh, squirming out of his grasp which causes him to beam.

"Ticklish?" Christian asks, wearing a huge, dopey, lopsided grin, and Ana giggles again, unable to hide her smile. Christian wanted to hear that sound again. He wanted to hear her girlish, happy giggle, and he works hard to suppress the urge to tickle her to death.

However, the lighthearted atmosphere doesn't last as Christian grew quiet and solemn. "Sweetheart, I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest, ok?" He says, leaning on his forearms and leveling his eyes with her. Blue to Grey.

Ana nods, biting the inside of her mouth, a nervous habit, and Christian squeezes her fingers to reassure her. "Sweetheart, why were you kneeling by my bed? Did I somehow give you the impression that it was what I wanted?"

Ana's gaze quickly darts away. "Um…um…no...Elena told me to...she said I would be punished otherwise." Her voice is nearly imperceptible.

Christian briefly closes his eyes, trying to comprehend this new piece of information. He was going to have a talk with Elena.

"Of course she did." He growls, balling his knuckles into fists. Yes, he was going to have a talk with Elena. _How could she do this?_

"What else did she say?" The only reason he's wasn't losing it was because he didn't want to scare Ana any further.

"Um…um…" Ana starts to stutter. She didn't think it was a smart idea to tell Christian.

"It's ok, sweetheart, you can tell me. She wouldn't tell you anything I didn't already know." Christian says, keeping a long, comforting arm around her.

Ana chances a quick glance at his eyes. They were a flinty shade of grey in the morning sun. They made her want to tell him anything and everything. "Um…she said I should also wait for you when you get back from work, and that I was to eat dinner on the floor, and…um…and…um...you liked to use the cane." Ana's voice grew fearful.

Christian was speechless. There wasn't a single damn thing he could say. Yes, he did like to use the cane, but that was only with one hundred percent consenting, adult woman who wanted him to use it on them. Christian remembers the marks on Ana's back. _Why did Elena cane her? And where were those two other gashes from?_

As hard as it was, he forces himself to smile, for Ana's sake, and wraps his other arm around her. His hug was so warm and protective that Ana willed herself to not melt in his embrace. When he pulls away, his eyes are crinkled at the edge and he's smiling sadly at her. "Do you believe Elena?" He asks, heavy-hearted.

Ana thinks about his question. _She did believe Elena, but Christian was so nice. Ana didn't understand his kindness towards her. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to trust a little? Maybe he_ _wasn't_ _that bad? Of course, if he wasn't bad, Ana didn't know why he was associated with Elena._ Ana stares at Christian. He was sitting cross-legged and he was dressed in only boxers since his shirt was on her. His copper hair was a mess, and dark circles collect under his eyes. Ana also spots the assortment of small, round scars marring his chest. She wanted to trust him. He looked so genuine and sincere sitting there, and in that moment, Ana decided that she will try to learn and trust him. After all, it was better than trusting Elena.

"Do you believe Elena?" Christian asks again.

Ana slowly shook her head.

Christian gives her a small smile. "Ok, good. Elena can be mean sometimes." Christian's lips turn into a frown when he hears what he's saying. "Ok, correction, she can be really mean sometimes, and I know she acted despicably towards you and that you are probably scared shitless right now, but I want you to wipe everything she told you out of your mind. I don't expect you to kneel and wait for me like a dog, and I don't expect you to eat under the table, and no I'm not going to use a cane, or a paddle, or a belt, or my hand, or whatever other fucking implements out there on you. Please believe me, I'm not here to hurt you." Christian pleads.

"I don't get it." Ana finally whispers, it was too much. It would be easier if he was a cruel, sadistic Dom. That way, her heart wouldn't flutter every time he'd smile. That way, she wouldn't want to melt in his embrace. That way, she wouldn't be forced to love him. Ana was good at dealing with pain, but this, this she had no idea how to handle.

"What don't you get?"

Ana needs to swallow several time to force the lump past her throat. "You. I don't get you. Why are you doing this? You don't have to feed me, or give me a bedroom. You could easily throw me back out on the streets. If I'm not here for your sexual pleasure, then what am I here for? You need to stop being so nice, and kind, and caring, and gentle, and…and…" Ana's tone was equally pleading and the all too familiar tears stung her eyes.

Christian took a deep breath, and Ana can tell he's working hard to calm himself. Some unnamed emotion flickered across his face as he gently takes her hand. Briefly, Christian glances down at his alarm, noting the time, and realizes he needs to get to work. "Ana, sweetheart, we'll talk more about this when I come home, but I don't want you to worry about anything, and I don't want you to submit or serve me. I want you to get better, both physically and mentally. Gail will be here at eight; you'll like her. And no, I'm not going to stop being nice, heaven knows, you could probably use a little kindness."

Christian starts to get ready, throwing on black pants, white shirt, and grey tie, as Ana sits there, dumbstruck.

 _He was more than a little kindness…_

Christian smiles at Ana still sitting on the end of his bed. He walks over, kisses her on the temple, and disappears out the doorway, leaving a thousand quivering, dancing butterflies in Ana's stomach.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian was right. Ana liked Gail. In the five seconds Ana has came to know her, Gail has already given her a big bear hug, ordered her to sit down, and started an easy conversation while scurrying around the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Of course, Ana is a little wary of Gail, however, something about the kind, middle-aged lady made Ana relax in her chair. Gail was the type of person you trusted instantly. She reminded Ana of a cool, hip grandmother, going on about the new farmer market that recently opened.

Gail casts another worried glance at Ana. The little girl only wanted half an omelet, which worried Gail, but Christian specifically left her a note this morning instructing her not to push Ana with food although he would still like for her to eat a small three meals. Gail felt her heart hurt once more when she remembers how Taylor told her Ana was sold to Christian by the wicked bitch troll, or at least that's what Gail called her.

"Gail, can I ask a question?" Ana asks tentatively, watching Gail as she secures a flowered apron around herself.

"Yes dear?"

"Um…what do you think of Christian?"

Gail stops her task of the dishes as she regards the little girl, her legs dangling from the bar stool as she gnaws on her bottom lip.

"Well dear."…Gail pauses, trying to gather her thoughts as she picks up another plate. "I think Mr. Grey is a very kind man. I know he comes off a bit harsh…and he certainly does have his issues, mainly with trust and anger, but under all that is a heart of gold... His preferences are…a bit unusual to say the least and he's a bit cold…but he's a good man."

 **A/n-Like I mentioned before, Thank you for all the amazing reviews and PMs! Sorry for the late update. My current update schedule is once a week, but I will try to come up with faster updates. This chapter wasn't super long so I added the little part with Gail. She and Taylor will be semi-main characters and I loved both of them in the original FSOG books. And as always, please forgive any grammar mistakes (I will always try to correct them although sometimes things slip me, please don't be afraid to point them out, with respect of course.)**

 **With that, what did you guys think of this chapter and Christian as well as Ana? Reviews are always appreciated! I love hearing thoughts/opinions/ideas...**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren ^-^**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n: A big thank you to everyone who read/followed/favorited/reviewed this. Your support for me and this story truly blows me away and I love you guys all ^_^**

 **So, this chapter is divided into two parts. First part is Christian's confrontation with the evil bitch troll, and the second part is about him and Ana. The first part is kind of heavy, but the second part is all fluff. It's also a slightly longer chapter and I was able to update this one day early (wow)**

 **Un beta'd-all mistakes are mine.**

 **Chapter 5-Beautiful**

"Christian dear, you wanted to see me?" Elena's too sweet voice crept over and Christian felt a shiver run through him.

It was strange, really. An hour ago, Christian has all but demanded poor Andrea to call Elena. He said that he wanted Elena in his office, no matter what, at 9:00am. Sharp. But now, he just didn't have the mental energy it took to face her and all of his earlier bravado has evaporated. For some reason, Elena's presence always intimidated him. It was like the Harry Potter movie when the dementors would freeze over. Yes, that was an accurate statement. Elena is a dementor. Finally, after a minute or two, Christian lifts his head to acknowledge Elena as she squints her eyes towards him.

Elena could feel that something was wrong. Something in Christian was changing. She could sense it the second she walked in. Christian was cold and aloof, completely ignoring her, and he made no moves to offer her a glass of wine or even a seat to sit. This wasn't the Christian Elena knew and Elena knew Christian better than anyone. She knew all of his fears and doubts and past and insecurities. She knew him, and thereby she owned him. Christian was hers. He was hers to demand. He was hers to control. But today, he wasn't the same Christian.

"Christian, darling, is this how you treat all of your guests?" Elena purrs, lightly grazing her finger up his forearm.

Goosebumps spread across Christian's skin as he jerks his hand away. "I can treat you however I please." He hissed. He was trying not to lose it. Christian was angry, and hurt. Very hurt. He never thought, his only friend, could threaten someone the way she threatened Ana. Of course, Christian knew Elena was no saint. Some of the things she did to him was simply despicable, but Christian thought she was trying to help him. And maybe he didn't enjoy getting beaten or belted or canned, but he was better because of it. Christian thought Elena did it for his own good, and he did it because it was the only way. After all, he was unlovable; he was as unworthy as they came, even his own mother didn't want him. Christian never expected or wanted love. He has learned to accept his place in society, but Ana? Ana was beautiful, and gorgeous, and innocent, and lovable. Very, easily lovable. He could tell that even after just one night. Christian understands why Elena did what she did to him, but he couldn't stomach the thought of Ana getting treated the same way. She didn't deserve it.

"Christian, this doesn't have anything to do with that mousy little Anastasia, does it?" Elena snarls. _How dare he speak to her in such a way? She was HIS dominant._

At the mention of her name, Christian slowly stood up, the image of Ana trembling naked against his bed still too painful a memory to bear. His body shifts as his rage returned. _He has misjudged Elena. How could she be this cruel?_ His shoulders rolled themselves backwards and his jaw tightened. Suddenly, he seemed taller.

For the first time, Elena slightly falters under his stare.

This was dominant Christian. Elena recognized him immediately as she steps forward. _So, he wanted to play the dominant…well, she was only too happy to oblige._

For a minute, they just stare at each other.

Dominant Vs Dominant.

"This has everything to do with Ana." Christian finally responds, his gaze hard and unrelenting.

"What about her?" Elena raised a sleek, slender eyebrow.

"You know exactly what. How could you do that to a child?"

"She's not a child; she's seventeen."

"She's underage, so by law she's a child."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Christian, you can wait till she's eighteen if it helps you sleep better. I don't know why you're so hung up on her age; you were even two years younger when you started."

This catches Christian off guard and he needs to blink several times. "We were different." He finally mutters. _Yes, he was a child_ _, but that didn't matter. He_ didn't matter.

The silence between them grew and you could hear the ticking of the clock as Christian shoves all of the unpleasant memories about his teenage years away. _This was not the time to be thinking about that. That was a long time ago and those thoughts were better_ _left_ _buried._

He roughly pinches the bridge of his nose. "The point is not her age."

"Then what's the point?"

Christian mentally counts to ten, then to ten again. He was afraid if he opened his eyes, he would go to jail for breaking Elena's nose, but he wouldn't, mostly because the sick bitch would derive some sort of pleasure from it.

"The point is how could you make her kneel before me, cane her, and then tell her I will treat her ten times worse. I woke up this morning to find her kneeling, fucking naked, by my bed." Christian's voice lost its previous calmness and each note rose with anger.

"Isn't that who you are?"

"What do you mean that's who I am?" Christian spits.

Elena glowered at Christian. _The boy sure was growing a pair of balls, thinking he could defy her._ "Do you really think you can fool me, Christian?" Elena mockingly laughed. "You think you can pin this on me? You are the one that comes begging for me every time a submissive leaves you, and they all do. I was only telling Ana the truth because we both know you love it when a little, brunette girl kneels by your feet and trembles in fear; we both know you love to cane them until they are crying in pain; we both know you love to be the one in power, having everyone and everything under your control. So don't you act all high and mighty around me. You are equally the monster."

Christian's fingers curl and grip the edge of his desk as he closes his eyes. _He knew how fucked up and sick he was. He admits it and he has never denied that piece of truth. However, he wouldn't hurt Ana. He refuses to be that type of man._ His eyes are a frosty grey when he reopens them. "I don't need you to tell me I'm a monster. I know who I am, but I am not a man, nor will I ever be a man that beats a girl into submission. All of my submissives were more than willing and you know that better than me." Christian's voice held a chilling type of stillness. Elena has way overstepped the line, and Christian was going to fight, if not for himself, then for Ana. He was no longer the fifteen-year-old boy. He was the dominant and she was in his domain.

"And what are you going to do with this girl if she's not your submissive? Are you telling me you're going to love her, hug her, and then dry her tears? When were you the caring type?" Elena throws another dagger at Christian, giving him a cruel, mocking laugh.

Christian feels as if a bucket of ice water was suddenly dumped on him, distinguishing all of his anger,as his heart sank. The earlier rage in his body was now replaced by a deep, indescribable shame. Christian wished, he wished with all his heart that he was the caring type, that he could let Grace touch him, that he could give Elliot a hug, and that he could make Carrick proud, but he wasn't. He was Christian, the monster. Elena takes note of the subtle change in Christian's demeanor and decides to change tactics as she gently touches his hand. "Christian, I know you don't want to hear this, but Ana's using you. She's using you for your money. She told me that she wanted to go to college and use you as a source of tuition. I just want to protect you."

"She wants to go to college?" Christian startles up, completely ignoring the rest of Elena's speech. Yesterday, Christian has thought about approaching the subject with her. He wanted to help her, and he thought education was the best way. He just didn't know if she wanted it herself, and he was going to wait to bring up this topic.

 _But If that was her dream, he would make sure it happened. Education was the best option for her. Maybe she'd be able to restart her life, wipe the slate clean._

Elena, however, misread Christian's reaction. She thought she has finally convinced him to make Ana his submissive. She thought she has convinced him that Ana was only a whore after his money. Sure, in the beginning, she told Christian he could help Ana with college, but that was just an excuse for him to take her as his submissive. In her heart, Elena never wanted what was best for Ana.

Elena pretends to shake her head in pity. "I'm sorry to tell you this Christian, but that's how people like her operate. She's going to take the money she needs for college and then she's going to leave you."

"And why shouldn't she? College is the best option for her." Christian retorts back. He didn't particularly care if Ana stayed.

 _Ok, Lie._

 _But he did want her to be safe and happy._

Elena anchors her brow at Christian. "What? You're not actually thinking of supporting her, are you?"

But it only took one look from Christian's face to tell her that he absolutely was thinking about it, even planning it, and Elena's eyes raked with disdain. "My, my, my, look at what you have become, submitting to the tricks of a little submissive. And you dare call yourself a Dom? You have become the naïve, old you, losing all your precious control. You are becoming a fool. LOVE is for FOOLS Christian! You are nothing but a weakling. I feel pathetic for you, if I had known, I would've taught Ana a better lesson, seems like she's not as innocent as she appears."

At this, something in Christian snaps.

"YOU LEAVE ANA ALONE. YOU HEAR ME? SHE'S ONLY 17. SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANY BETTER." Christian's nostrils flared.

Elena narrows her eyes into an inadequate stare as her lips pursed into a straight, unforgiving line. "How dare you yell at me when all I want to do is protect you? You are nothing but a stupid, imbecile fool who's hiding behind a mask of a fucking CEO. You can't even see a whore's trick."

"ENOUGH!" Christian bellows. "If I hear you say one more thing about Ana, I will liquidate you solons. You are nothing without me."

Christian's last sentence cuts Elena. _Nothing, absolutely nothing_ _,_ _was more important_ _to her t_ _han her salons._ She hardly recognized the man before her. Over the course of four years, she has carefully, meticulously trained him to be her boy. She has made him hers, to do her every bidding, but now he had the nerve to sit here and menace her?

"And who are you without me?" Elena's words were like sharp pieces of glass thrown at Christian. "Who lent you the money to start GEH?" she seethed. "I was the one that stood by you when you dropped out of Harvard. Just remember, even Carrick didn't want you. I MADE you, so don't you sit here and threaten me with all of your money and power."

"Are you done? Because if you are, you can leave, and if you're not, I'm calling security." Christian's voice was filled with dominance but it was also quiet and soft. He was exhausted. He didn't have the emotional strength it took to fight Elena. He didn't have it in him to listen to her degrade and humiliate him. He knew all of his flaws and he didn't need her to list them for him.

At this, Elena levels her glacial blue eyes with Christian while pointing a long, black, well-manicured fingernail at his chest. Each and every one of her words were intended to sting as she spat the last sentence at him. "I can't believe I called you my submissive. I should've left you like everyone else because you're clearly not worth it."

And with that, she struts out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana's eyes widened in disbelief. In front of her was what looked like a part of a high-end clothing store. Her closet that was just empty yesterday now contained everything from silk blouses to full-length ball gowns. There were drawers and drawers of tops, jeans, skirts, sweaters, and dresses. There was also an entire wall of shoes. Ana tentatively ran her hands along some of the soft fabrics of the gowns. They were all red-carpet worthy. Taking a deep breath, she bravely checks one of the price. 1064$. Ana felt like fainting. She needed to find Gail.

"Ana dear, are you ok? You look like you saw a ghost." Gail asks, kindly, when she sees Ana fidgeting by the doorway, looking quite unsure.

"Um…Gail…where...where did all of the clothes come from?" Ana stammers as she nervously rocks back and forth on her heels.

Gail's lips turn into a slight frown. "Well dear, Mr. Grey…I thought you knew…but he usually orders a new wardrobe for all of his submissives."

"Oh…" Ana mutters, trying not to think about if she was also "one of his submissives."

"Is something wrong, dear?" Gail asks, cautiously.

"No…it's just…" Ana struggles with her words. "I…I…don't need all of the clothes. I mean, it's not like I would go out or anything…and it's…um…kind of wasteful…." She gestures helplessly with her hands and Gail smiles sadly at her.

"Oh Ana, I wouldn't worry so much. Mr. Grey always orders them from Caroline at Normans, and he probably didn't even think twice about buying the usual thing. I'm sure you can talk to him about it if it really bothers you." Gail reassures her, and Ana gives Gail a small, thankful smile.

After going through all of the clothes in her closet once again, Ana decides she needs to talk with Christian about this. _It was too, too much..._ Ana also decides to explore Escala a little bit as she aimlessly wanders around the commodious penthouse, trying to find something to do. Gail was kind enough to offer to watch a movie with her, but that only took an hour, and Ana was alone. She felt useless. There was nothing she could do. Everything was clean and Gail had already made lunch. Ana hated the feeling of worthlessness. At least in her foster home, she got to take care of Paul, her little foster brother.

 _No Ana! Don't go there! Paul was adopted by a nice family, and you're away from Steve. Don't dwell on the past! Yes, you might not get to see Paul again, but at least he's safe, and for now, you're safe as well._

"Ana?" Gail asks, appearing in the doorway with the phone in her hand. "Christian wants to talk with you."

"Me?"

Gail nods, smiling all warm and bright. "Yes, you dear. Here." she hands Ana the phone.

Ana apprehensively brought the phone to her ear. "Hi." she squeaks and Christian can't help but smile at the sound of her cute and shy voice.

"Hi Ana, how are you doing?" He asks. Christian was still very stressed from his fight with Elena and for the past hour, he has had a full-fledge war with himself about whether or not he should call Ana. On one hand, he thought they both needed space. He was getting attached, much too fast, and she was probably still scared of him. Plus, he didn't know what he was suppose to say, or act, or do around her. He wasn't good for her. But on the other side, Christian wanted to check if she ate lunch. Finally, after countless times of picking up and putting down and re-picking up his phone, the side concerning food won and he dialed Gail who told him Ana ate half a sub for lunch. The irony was bitter.

"Ana, are you ok? You sound like you want to say something." Christian picks up Ana's stuttering over the phone.

"Um…yes…I just….um…never mind."

"What? No, tell me."

"Um…it's just…I don't need all of those clothes." Ana stammers.

Christian felt himself grin. _So this is what she's worried about, he must say he's relieved._

"They're just clothes, Ana. If you don't like them, we can get new ones."

 _Did he even listen to what she was saying? That wasn't_ _her point…_

"No Christian, it's too much. I don't need all of those clothes."

"But I can't have you wearing my t-shirts and boxers all day." Christian responds, grinning like a lunatic.

 _Fuck though! She looked_ _adorable_ _in his t-shirt and boxers._

"No Christian, that's not what I meant. I mean, I only need a couple of t _-_ shirts and maybe one or two jeans from Target…"

"Ana, I don't shop at Target." Christian stops her before she could continue.

Ana incessantly twists her hair as she tries to formulate a sentence "No…I figured…it's just…I don't know... surely the gowns are a little over the top. Christian, it's not like I'm going to go to a Cinderella ball." she pleads.

Christian smiles fondly. _The gowns were a little bit extra and over the top. He hasn't though_ _t_ _to ask for those to be taken out of the order he placed this morning. Christian was just glad he remembered to ask for no lingerie. That would've destroyed whatever little trust Ana had in him._

"Ok, maybe the gowns weren't necessary." Christian begrudgingly admits, and Ana thought she could hear his grin on the other end.

However, Christian's smile quickly vanishes when Andrea pokes her head in to remind him of his next couple of meetings.

"Look Ana, we'll talk more about this when I get home, but it will probably have to wait till the weekend since I need to work late today. Eat dinner with Gail and don't wait for me, ok?"

"Ok." Ana sounds a little upset.

"Oh, and Ana, tell Gail to show you the library." Christian remembers.

"You have a library?" Ana couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. She didn't remember finding one while exploring Escala earlier today. _Unless it was the room with the locked door, but she assumed that to be his dungeon or whatever…_

"Yes, I have a library." Christian grins. "It's behind the wine cellar. The wall spins."

XXXXXXXXXX

The smell of fried rice assaults Christian's nose as he walks through the elevator. A frown tugs on his lips when he sees that Ana's still up. It was already 10pm.

She's standing on her tiptoes, her right arm outstretched as she struggles to reach the top shelf in the kitchen. Her hair was piled in a messy bun, and she was wearing a new pair of jeans from the closet he brought with his old Harvard t-shirt.

Christian quietly walks around, and Ana tenses for the briefest of seconds when she felt his presence behind her as he reaches up and effortlessly retrieves the bowl she was trying to get.

 _Ugh! Tall people!_

"I thought I told you to eat with Gail. Why are you still up?" Christian's voice contains an accusatory note as he hands her the bowl.

Ana flashes him an embarrassed smile. "Um...I thought...um...that I would make you dinner…" She nervously rubs her hands together, and Christian notices the fried rice, mixed with vegetables, sizzling on the stove.

"You stayed up and made me dinner?" _That was the single, sweetest thing anyone has ever done for him in a long, long time._

"Um...yeah...it's ok if you already ate...I...I can always save it as leftovers for tomorrow."

Christian gives her a are-you-kidding-me look.

"No, I'm famished."

Ana smiles so widely at Christian's words that her cheeks began to hurt and she hurriedly scoops some rice into the bowl as she hands it to Christian.

They both sit down at the dining room table, and Ana brings her knees up so she can rest her chin on them while watching Christian eat. She already ate with Gail.

"This is fucking amazing, how did you become such a good cook?" Christian asks between mouthfuls of rice, completely abandoning all mannerism. Grace would've been embarrassed.

Ana giggles. "Fried rice was Paul's favorite."

"Paul?" Christian asks, momentarily setting down his bowl. _There was nothing about some dude named Paul on her background check…_

In all honesty, Ana's background check didn't reveal much about her since some of the foster homes were so poorly documented. All Christian knew was that Ana lived with this guy named Steve Morton.

Ana's smiles a bittersweet smile as she seems to be reminiscing a happy memory. "Yeah, Paul, he was my foster brother. He always begged for fried rice."

Christian had so many questions. What happened to Paul? Why did Ana have to cook at her foster home? Who was Steve Morton? Why did she ran away? All of these questions were swimming around his mind, but he didn't dare ask them. He didn't want to push her. She would talk on her own time.

Of course, Christian also wanted to discuss the idea of college with her, but that would have to wait till tomorrow. It was late and Christian was sure that she was tired.

Looking at Ana, Christian had an unexplainable feeling. He wanted to protect her; he wanted to make her laugh; he wanted to hug her and spin her around; he wanted to kiss her...

"Dance with me." Christian asks out of the blue, gently taking a plate out of Ana's hand. "The dishes can wait till tomorrow."

Ana stares at him, blue eyes brimming with subtle curiosity, and she cocks her head to the side. _He was so complicated...and hard to figure out...but he was so sincere and genuine and nice and gentle all at the same time._ Ana found herself wanting to trust him.

"I don't know how." She finally giggles. Christian loved her giggle. It was like a little waterfall, clear and carefree.

"You don't have to. You have me." Christian grins cheekily, extending his hand.

Ana looks at his hand, then at Christian, then back at his hand, before finally slipping her fingers in his palm.

"Here, put your one hand around my neck, and one on my bicep …...Yes, just like that, good girl."

Christian lightly rests his right hand on the small of Ana's back as he pulls her close to him. She giggles at him once again as he presses his forehead to hers. His grey eyes crinkle at the edges and his left dimple just barely showed.

Ana is memorized as he gracefully begins to dance, keeping his one arm tucked around her as his feet moves in circles, twirling her around and around. Ana's never been this close to a man, except maybe Ray, and the combination of her frantically beating heart and the feeling of being safe in his embrace made Ana giggle and laugh. _She felt happy, like dancing on the moon happy..._

In the background, music softly played.

 _Please let me make something beautiful  
A thing that reminds us there's good in the world  
A thing that reminds us there's still something out there worth fighting for_

Christian suddenly dips Ana, causing her to squeal as she tightly grips his biceps. But she need not worry because Christian's hand is firmly placed behind her back and he would never let her fall.

When he pulls her up, she's still giggling. The little trickle of waterfall beginning to seep through the cracks in Christian's heart.

And in that moment, _they were both beautiful…_

 **Song: Make Something Beautiful by Ben Rector**

 **A/N: Thank you for all of the AMAZING support and reviews (including all of the guests' reviews) I can't tell you how much I appreciate them.**

 **So, did I make you guys hate Elena even more? Lol (*insert evil laugh*) Thoughts on Ana? Christian? I promise there's a lot more coming up with A & C and I will start to slowly reveal Ana's past. Please review :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow! Over 200 reviews, and I just want you guys to know how much I appreciate each and every single one of them. You guys are the best! I couldn't have done this without any of you. This extra-long chapter is my Thank You to you :)**

 **Also a thousand thanks to Queen Bee for helping me out with this story, and if you don't know her, then girl (I'm assuming we're all ladies?), you better check out some of her stories. They are AMAZING!**

 **Ok, so I don't know how this chapter turned out, but I've edited this at least five times and I didn't want to post a super late update so it is what it is =) Hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless!**

 **All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 6-A Thousand Years**

 _Heart beats fast_

 _Colors and promises_

 _How to be brave_

 _How can I love when I'm afraid to fall_

 _But watching you stand alone_

 _All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow_

Ana's softly singing to herself as her hips sway side to side. She has a bowl of thick, creamy pancake batter in her hands that she's been mixing. Outside, rain pours down Christian's huge, panel glass windows, and inside, the stove sizzles.

Christian's perched on the barstool behind her, chin resting on hands, as he watches her dance and sway about the kitchen. He has been sitting there for quite some time, but Ana's so engrossed in her own world that she doesn't even notice him.

An adoring smile forms along Christian's lips as he watches Ana sprinkle a handful of blueberries into the batter and quietly hum the lyrics. Soon, the smell of butter mixed with syrup wafts through the air. For some reason, this all seemed so right. So normal. Breakfast on a Saturday morning type of normal.

 _One step closer…_

"Huh…." Ana gasps when she spins around and spots Christian. He gives her a big Yes-I've-caught-you-dancing-and singing-in-the-kitchen smile. "Good morning, sunshine."

A cute blush taints Ana's cheeks as she hurries and places two plates of pancakes before them, making sure to drizzle a good amount of maple syrup over the fatty bread. "How long have you been sitting there?" she asks, a little embarrassed that he's been watching her sing and dance. _She certainly didn't have the best moves…or the best voice for that matter._

Christian answers her with another dopey, lopsided grin. "I don't know. A while."

 _I have died everyday, waiting for you_

 _Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years_

 _I'll love you for a thousand more_

XXXXXXXXXX

Breakfast's spent in light-hearted conversation and Ana has just finished putting the last dish in the dishwasher when Christian gently touches her shoulder. "Ana, I need to talk with you about something more serious. Do you want to go to my library, it's more comfortable there." His grey eyes are sincere and his voice is warm, but Ana can't help the sinking feeling of her heart as her throat constricts. _Oh gosh. This was it. This was really it._

 _What? Did you think he was going to let you stay here for free? Did you think he would forget about the submissive/dominant contract?_ Ana's subconscious snarls at her as she blinks back tears. Christian immediately senses this and envelops her into a big bear hug. His arms are tightly wrapped around her and her face is pressed straight into his chest.

"Sweetheart, it's not what you think it is. I promise, ok?" Christian asks, tightening his arms around her when he feels her tears soak his five-hundred dollars t-shirt.

"Come on now, don't cry." Christian whispers into Ana's hair as she sniffles one more time, wiping her tears with the back of her hands as Christian reaches into his pocket for the remote that controlled the spinning wall in order to reveal his library.

Elliot has help designed Escala two years ago, and at the time, Elliott was fascinated with things that spun. So without Christian's prior knowledge or permission, Elliot has installed a spinning wall. The one side of the wall was made out of glass and served as a ceiling-high, clear, wine cellar, but the other side consisted of Christian's library. Needless to say, Christian wasn't too thrilled about it at first, however, over the years, he has learned to accept and love it.

Christian keeps his arm wrapped around Ana as he steers her to the couch in the middle of the room. He adjusts her legs so they are sitting across his thighs and takes the chance to plant a soft kiss in her hair. She was still crying, and each sniffle seems to break his heart more. _What happened to her? What had she gone through in order for her to become like this?_

Looking at Ana, all Christian wanted to do was hug the shit out of her and tell her that everything was going to be ok, but instead, he retrieves a sleek, green folder sitting on the coffee table.

"Here, take a look at this and tell me what you think." Christian murmurs as he hands her the folder.

Ana takes a deep breath before shakily flipping open the folder that she was sure contained the submissive/dominant contract.

 _1\. University of Washington_

 _2\. Seattle Pacific University_

 _3\. Seattle Central College_

"So…What do you think?" Christian probes, practically giddy with excitement. He has already talked with all of the administrations of these Universities, and they have all agreed to take Ana. Christian wanted to do this for her. He wanted to help her. Of course, he would prefer her to do online courses, but should she choose to live on campus, he was also ok with that. He wanted what was best for her, and there was a high possibility that living with him wasn't the best option for her.

Ana re-reads the first page. This isn't a sex contract. This is a…um...University/college contract.

 _If the following member_ _Anastasia Steele_ _so wish to attend a University of her choice, then her adviser,_ _Christian Trevelyan Grey_ _will provided her with the tuition. If she so chooses to drop out later on, then the tuition will go to other uses…_

Ana slowly blinks several time as she tries to regain her comprehension. She felt as if she was in a dream. It was like her body and mind were disconnected. Everything in her world was upside down. Nothing made sense. _Why? Why would Christian do this? She didn't have any way she could repay him…_

For the longest time, she just remains shell-shocked.

"Um…Elena…mentioned something about college…" Christian sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. _Shit, maybe it wasn't the best idea to spring this on her._

"You don't have to agree…I just thought…if you wanted to go to College…I could probably get you a spot and of course I will take care of the tuition. You can do it online or you could attend a campus…needless to say I would like for you to stay in Seattle but you can go anywhere you'd like…I'd help you with your application…we can most likely find your high school transcript…I…I…" Christian begins to ramble quickly. He couldn't comprehend what he was saying. He was so afraid. So afraid he scared Ana by dropping this on her. After all, she was still fragile, and maybe college wasn't something she's ready for…

"Christian." Ana's soft voice interrupts him as she picks up one of his fingers, temporarily fascinated by the veins that traveled across his smooth skin.

She swallows several time, working hard to get her nerves under control. "Christian, I think you're a really, really nice guy…and you have been beyond kind…I don't want to take advantage of you like that…this…this is all…too, too much…"

 _Take advantage? The definition of that phrase meant to make unfair use of a person for one's own selfish reasons._ _Did Ana see herself as selfish? Why would she be taking advantage of him? Did his simple wish to support her led her to believe that she was somehow exploiting him?_

Ana, on the other side, would love to go to college. It was her ultimate dream. _But she could not, would not, use Christian like that. In two days, Christian has shown her more kindness than this entire world combined. He has already spent so much money on her, letting her live with him while expecting nothing in return. He has paid to get her out of Elena's evils claws. And now, now he wanted to support her college tuition. Ana couldn't allow it. It was just too much. She will find some other way to attain college, but she will not use Christian._

Christian carefully takes hold of both of Ana's hands. "Ana, sweetheart, you're not taking advantage of me. Please, consider this…I want what's best for you." He says, slightly pushing the folder in front of her.

Ana shakes her head. "No…Christian, I can't…it's too much. I feel wrong taking it." and she starts crying. Her stupid emotions overwhelming her.

At this, the corners of Christian's lips lift into a small, sad smile. There's almost something shy about his movements as he gently hooks his fingers under Ana's chin so he could stare into her glossy blue eyes.

"Ana…I don't mean this to sound arrogant in any way, shape or form, but the money for the tuition is just mere pennies to me. Please don't see yourself as taking advantage of me because I assure you that's not what you're doing if you so choose this. In fact, it will please me immensely if I could see those pennies go to good use and support a beautiful, young, intelligent, and smart girl."

Ana sniffles, smearing her tears with the back of her hands. "Christian…I don't…I don't understand…you're not even using me as your…sub…why are you doing this…you could easily spend that money on someone else…why…why me?"

Christian furrows his eyebrows, moving Ana closer to him and resting her head on his shoulders. "Sweetheart, what Elena did you was extremely wrong, and I can see that you were forced. And I'm not going to lie, I am a dominant, but I will never hurt anyone who's unwilling, or underage for that matter. Christ, it's illegal."

It really wasn't a funny matter, hearing Christian talk about something related to pedophilia, much less when the subject was herself, but Ana couldn't help the little bubble of giggle.

He was so… _adorable,_ especially with his one dimple.

For some reason, Ana couldn't fathom him being a Dom. She always imagined Dominants being these big, scary dudes that carried around a whip. Christian didn't fit the profile.

A brave, unnerving thought pops into her head. "Um…Christian…how are you like with your subs?" Ana decides to go against her screaming subconscious and asks.

An immediate crease forms along Christian's forehead. "Why do you want to know that, sweetheart? It's nothing for you to worry about, ok?"

Ana shrugs. "I don't know, you're so warm hearted and compassionate… I don't think I can see you as a Dom, but…I bet submissives really like you…I would." She softly admits while laying her head in the crook of his neck.

Christian's eyebrows burrow further as he absentmindedly strokes her hair. _This is bad. Very bad. Ana was beginning to trust him, which is good, but she was also beginning to like him. She was still so naïve, only choosing to see the good in him while ignoring all the bad. He needs to nip this in the bud right now. He can't have her developing feelings for him despite his own feelings for her. He needs her to see the true him. She needs to see the monster before she gets herself hurt._

"Ana…" Her name sounds like a tortured whisper on his lips as she looks up at him, blue eyes brighter than the autumn sky. "Ana…I'm not a kind dominant. I…am…quite harsh to say the least…you wouldn't like me."

Ana contemplates this for a second before she mockingly squints at him. "I don't believe you. You're lying." She says, giggling.

 _Giggling? No, no, no, no... This is worse than he imagined. Way worse. She has started to see him as something more. She has started to see him as the good guy instead of the beast. He needed to remedy this immediately._

Christian roughly presses his thumb and middle finger against the sides of his forehead as he tries to mold his scalp into his hands. "Ana, please, you don't know me. I'm not nice or kind or warmhearted or compassionate or whatever you say I am. There's a dark side to me that I never want you to witness. At my core, I am a business mogul and a Dom. I don't have a heart."

Ana twists her mouth into a little frown. "Christian, that's simply not true."

 _Heartless? Why was he so convinced that he was bad? Even if he did turn out evil in the end, at least he showed her a little bit of kindness, and even the smallest amount of kindness requires a heart._

Christian takes a deep breath while momentarily closing his eyes. _He didn't want to do this, but she needed to know the true him._ He gently scoots her off his lap and helps her stand. "I think you should see something for yourself."

Ana bites her lips as he leads her back up to the second floor. They stop in front of the locked door. It was the only room in Escala that was locked. Of course, Ana has already guessed the purpose of this room.

Instinctually, her hand finds and clutches the edge of Christian's sleeve. She was afraid and for some reason, holding Christian's hand made her feel better. Christian smiles at her and gives her fingers an affectionate squeeze.

"Ana, I don't know what I did to make you like me, but you need to trust me when I say you can't. This room represents a dark part of me, a part of me that I don't want you to see or know. But when you said you think girls would like to be my submissives, that scared me. And I don't want you developing any feeling for me because the Dominant me is very different from the me I am with you, and I want to protect you. I know you think I'm good inside, but I'm not. I need you to see the true me. I don't want you to get hurt."

And with that, Christian pushes open the door.

Red walls flood Ana's view as she inhales a tremulous breath. Goosebumps form along her frigid, naked skin, and for a second, everything fades away. Her eyes are wide, her skin is pale, and her bottom lip slightly quivers.

The room was red, and there was a black cross in the corner as well as a table of some sort. Ana thinks the cross is called a St. Andrew's cross, and there's a chest of drawers right beside her.

 _Ok, deep breaths, in and out, you can do this. After all, it can't be worse than Elena's dungeon._ Ana reaches out and runs her trembling fingers along a thin bamboo cane.

Christian's arm comes and comfortingly wraps around her. "Too much?" he asks, ready to take her out of this room. _He thinks he has achieved his point. All he needed to do was for her to see that he isn't the good guy she thought he was; he didn't need to scare her more than he had to._

Ana's body shudders against him. "Have you used all of this stuff on your subs?" She asks. Her voice is nearly imperceptible as her eyes scan over all of the canes, whips, and paddles. There are also several belts hanging from a rack on the wall.

Christian looks away as he answers her. "Yes, most of them.

Ana shakily removes her finger from the tip of the cane as she moves further into the room. She stops before the belts. In her heart, she knew they were just inanimate object made from leather, but it was these very inanimate objects that left scars on her body. Ana felt like she was choking, as if a hand was placed over her throat and forcing all of the air from her lungs. For a second, she couldn't move or breath.

Christian keeps his hand rested on Ana's lower waist. He can tell the belts scared her. Her whole body is rigid and he can practically smell her fear. He sees Ana's trembling hand try to reach and touch the belt, but before her finger could even feel the stiff leather surface, she retracts it and cowers into his arms, seeking comfort.

"Can we leave now?" Ana asks, her voice is almost pleading and her hand clutches Christian's a little tighter.

Christian offers her a sad smile, "Of course, sweetheart." he says, putting his arm around her and safely guiding her out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana's standing on Christian's open balcony, a cup of warm tea in her hands, as she expels a soft sigh. Below her, pedestrians carry on with their everyday lives. Ana wonders how many of them are submissives? How many of them are dominants? How many of them knew about the lifestyle of BDSM? Were they going home to a lover or waiting for a spanking?

The frosty air nips at her nose as the wind blows through her hair. _What was Christian trying to achieve by showing her his playroom?_

Did he want her as a submissive?

At this, Ana quickly shakes her head. _No, it wasn't that. If he wanted to, Christian could've made her his submissive two days ago…he didn't have to go through all of the trouble of playing the nice guy._

Ana takes another sip of her rapidly cooling chamomile tea. _For some reason, it seemed like Christian was trying to scare her. And for a few brief seconds, Ana was scared. The red room has brought back less-than-happy memories, however, the more Ana thought about it, the more she realized that her stomach didn't contain the pit of fear like it had with Steve and Elena. Christian could've hurt her, he could've hurt her really badly without any problem, but he didn't. The fact that she was safe and unharmed was enough proof of his "heartless" heart._

 _Plus, she had no right to judge him. She knew very little about the BDSM lifestyle, and she had no right to judge something she didn't understand, and she certainly couldn't condemn someone based on their sexuality._

 _Christian could try to scare her all he liked, she will continue trusting him until he gives her a reason not to._

Ana hears the sliding sound of the balcony door opening and turns around to catch Christian standing behind her. He's dressed in grey sweats, and his hand is holding the same, dark green folder from earlier today.

Ana smiles and tilts her head in invitation for him to join her

A line appears between Christian's brows. "Aren't you afraid of me?" he asks. He has figured that after today, she would want to keep her distance.

Ana wrinkles her nose before turning back around. "No." She answers plainly.

Christian's pupils widen a fraction. _No? Was she mad?_ Hesitantly, he approaches her, cautiously leaning back against the railing to stare at her in bewilderment.

Ana chances a quick glance at him while twiddling with her tea. "No, I'm not afraid of you. Yes, the red room did slightly scare me, but I can't judge you on something I don't know. I think you're probably a pretty good dominant and I know you won't hurt anyone who's unwilling. So no, I'm not afraid of you."

This renders Christian silent and for a second, he doesn't know how to respond. Finally, after a few beats, a nervous chuckle escapes his lips. "You know, you are something else." He quietly confesses and Ana gives him a wide, lopsided grin.

"I'm just glad you don't have cages."

Christian raises an eyebrow in surprise. _Did she have some sort of a knack for saying the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate of times?_

"Isolation isn't really my thing. What made you think of that?" he asks, trying to keep his tone light.

Ana shrugs, her shoulders rising and falling. "I don't know. Elena had all of these cages, and they really frightened me. I didn't know if that was a "thing" or something in BDSM." She says, putting quotation marks around the word "thing". _She wanted to be able to trust Christian, to talk to him, to get to know him. Not because she liked him or anything, but because it was the least she could do after all that he has done for her._

 _And maybe because she liked him just a tiny bit too._

Christian shakes his head in amusement. _How can she talk so easily about such stuff?_ However, inside, he was beyond relieved that she still trusted him. He never wanted to practice BDSM on her or hurt her, but he didn't want her to fall for him either because he wanted to protect her. He took a risk today when he showed her his playroom. He knew there was a chance that she'd never talk to him or trust him ever again. Nevertheless though, she continues to amaze him.

"Some dominants use isolation as punishment…hence sometimes cages…or locking them in a room or confinement of some sort…" Christian softly explains, trying to word it as gently as he can without distorting the truth.

"Oh." Ana utters, not sure how to think about that. It seems cruel. A shudder runs through her.

Christian notices this and scoots closer to her, allowing her to lean her head on his shoulder as they both stare out into the streets of Seattle. His one arm is tucked around the small of her back and for a moment, everything is peaceful. "I know the lifestyle is really harsh…and some things, for example, isolation, even I'm not into. But for a lot of people, it's a coping mechanism." Christian says.

His mind travels back to four years ago. It was his junior year and he has decided to go to prom with this cute little sophomore girl named Colleen. Elena was livid when she found out, and that night, she dragged him up to her dungeon and after canning him, locked him up in a cage so small that he had to remain crouched and curled up for an entire night. Elena didn't bother coming back to check on him and he was left without food or water while Colleen was left without a prom date. After that, Christian has sworn off all cages for the rest of his life.

Ana snuggles deeper into him, trying to escape the chilly wind. "I guess I can see it as a coping mechanism, although I don't understand why some people want pain."

Christian drew a long breath before slowly blowing it out. "Sometimes, pain is all someone has ever known." He murmurs, pressing a kiss to the mass of soft, brown hair.

They stay like that for a while longer, Ana's head on Christian's shoulder, before he finally pulls away. "I hate to bring this up again, but will you please re-consider college. I'm not saying you have to; I just really want to do this for you. The money is nothing. Truly." He says, forcing the folder into Ana's hand.

Sapphire blue eyes flicker down at the folder and up at him again. They held so many different emotions, happiness, disbelief, awe, fear, courage…

"Ok, I'll consider it." She finally, softly mutters.

Christian's responding smile is so beautiful that Ana found herself holding her breath. She wanted to remember that smile. She wanted to remember the way his lips curved upwards and the way his one dimple crinkled. His smile was like a ray of sunshine, and Ana was positively sunburn.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian has just finished reading Taylor's report for him. He has found Ana's foster brother, Paul.

A year ago, Paul was transferred out of the foster care system and was adopted by a loving family, the Kavanaghs. They had a teenage daughter named Kate who seemed to get into quite some trouble, but otherwise, their record was clean.

Christian's planning another surprise for Ana, and he hopes it'll be a good surprise. Ms. Kavanagh was extremely friendly over the phone and has welcomed them with open arms. From what Christian can tell, Ana and Paul were very close, and the little boy adored her.

He's going over all of the information again, making sure he didn't miss anything, when shy, blue eyes peek from behind his office doors.

Christian smiles widely before gesturing with his two fingers for her to come in. A cute blush covers Ana's face as she scurries over.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Christian asks. In all honesty, he didn't know why he called her sweetheart, but it fitted her.

"Um...I...was...thinking...about...what you said...about college…" Ana stammers, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Yes?" This immediately got Christian's attention.

"Um...I would like to attend...except I have one condition…"

"Oh?" Christian's slants a curious eyebrow. _Whatever condition she had, he was sure he could accompany it._

"I will attend college, but I'm only taking the tuition as a loan. I'll pay you back...you know...once I can work or something…"

Christian presses his lips together. _This wasn't the condition he had in mind…_

"Ana." He says patiently, reaching out and pulling her close to him as he rubs his hands up and down her arms.

"Ana, sweetheart, I don't want you to worry about the money. I don't want that hanging over your head. I am more than capable and willing to pay the tuition. So, no, I'm not going to "loan" you the money, I'm gifting it to you."

"Then I'm not going." Ana crosses her arms, chin jetting out, and lord help Christian, she actually had a defiant look in her eyes.

"Ana, I'm a billionaire."

"Well, billionaire or not, I feel wrong taking your money, and I'm not going unless you agree for me to pay you back."

"Ok, consider it as an indefinite loan then." Christian says, waving his hands around the air as if he'd loss his mind. _Who knows, maybe he has._

"Christian! That's the same thing as giving it to me for free." Ana whines.

Christian gives her a cheeky grin. "Sorry, sweetheart, I'm paying. End of discussion."

Ana lets out an indignant huff of breath. "You're stubborn."

"And so are you."

At this, Ana rolls her eyes, and Christian actually felt his dick twitch. _Down boy!_

"Well, how about this. I'll pay for your college and I can return the gowns and stuff from your closet." Christian tries reasoning with her. _He can't believe he was having this conversation. Who didn't love money?_

"No." Ana turns her head.

 _Man, she was good, he should hire her to work for GEH._

"Ok..ok, don't be mad, I'll loan it to you. Jesus, if it makes you that happy." Christian acquises, but inside, he had no intention of ever taking the money back. He'll deal with that when the time comes.

At this, a huge, face-splitting grin breaks across Ana's face. "Really?"

"Yes." Christian lies.

"Thank you." Ana runs up and squashes him in a bone crushing hug, and Christian smiles softly as well before hugging her back.

"You're welcome, sweetheart…"

All of the sudden, their hug was interrupted by a high-pitched scream that could only belong to one person.

"Oh my gosh! It's a girl! It's a girl! Christian has a girl!"

 _Mia._

 **A/N: I know, I know, cruel place to leave the story…**

 **So, how did the chapter turn out? What did you guys think of the Library? Playroom? Belts? Dominant Christian? College?**

 **Please leave a review if you have a second. They always make my day =)**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren ^_^**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N-I truly do have the best group of readers, your reviews and support continues to blow me away, and I can't thank each and every one of you enough (Thank you to all the Guest reviews as well).**

 **Ok, so this is a relatively light chapter, depending on how you look at it, but some important things happen.**

 **Two issues I want to address real quick since I couldn't get to them in this chapter. 1)-Ana's going to college in Seattle and she will stay with Christian. Don't worry! 2)-Christian's a little more mature in this story, and he realizes the wrong of Elena, however, he doesn't want to confront it. Also, he does have his touch issues, but it's only on bare skin (not over clothes).**

 **Onward with the new chapter! All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 7-The Greys**

"Oh my gosh! It's a girl! It's a girl! Christian has a girl!"

Mia bursts through Christian's office, and before Christian can do anything, grabs Ana full force and kisses her, smack on the cheek.

Christian silently face palms himself.

 _Great. His sister was here._

Ana is shell-shocked and all she can do is gap at the cute girl in front of her as Mia spins her around and admires her from a 360 angel, nodding her head in approval.

"Oh Christian, she's a cutie. When did you guys meet? How did you guys meet? Where did you guys meet? Oh we need to tell mom, she'll be so thrilled."

Mia fires question after question as Ana gingerly wipes her cheek, smearing the harlot red lipstick off her face and onto her sleeve.

Christian's still face palming himself when Taylor's grimacing expression appears before the doorway. "I tried to stop her, sir."

Christian looks up and gives Taylor a dismissive wave. _He knew Taylor couldn't have stopped Mia. Mia was, quite frankly, unstoppable._

With one more, rough, swipe of his face, Christian stands up and wraps his arm around Ana.

"Mia, this is Anastasia, my girlfriend..." Christian introduces her while slightly squeezing her hand. _It was a lie, but he couldn't very well say…yeah, um, I brought her from a pedophile, the same pedophile that molested me when I was fifteen, now could he?_

A soft squeeze of the hand was all it took for Ana to understand Christian's intentions. She knew it would be hard for him to explain their relationship, and that it was easiest to pretend.

She smiles broadly at the giddy, blond girl before her. "Hi, Mia." She lets out a small squeak.

Mia just grabs her again and squashes her into another bone-crushing hug. "Oh, Anastasia, I love you already. By the way, I'm this douche's sister." She says as she winks at Christian.

Looking at his sister, ferociously hugging Ana, Christian can't help but smile. He always had a soft spot for Mia. And as annoying as she might be, Mia was the most tender-hearted person he knew. She always thought of everyone before herself, she feels before she thinks, and she was more concerned about fashion than war. Her blonde hair was tied back into two French braids and she wore a harlot red lipstick that show cased her broad smile.

"Ok, Mia, I will appreciate it if you don't smother my girlfriend." Christian says, possessively locking his arm around a giggling Ana.

Ana couldn't help it, she liked Mia. There was something intrinsically lovable about Christian's sister.

Mia beams at Christian. "You guys are coming to Sunday dinner, right?"

Christian blanches. "What?"

"Sunday dinner, you know, the ones you rarely show up for. Christian, you must come tomorrow, and you must bring Anastasia. Mom will be so happy."

Christian lets out an exasperated sigh. _Of course Mia will want to tell the world…Her supposedly "gay" brother has a girlfriend._

"Ok, but I have one condition." Christian finally relents, holding up one finger.

"Anything, as long as you bring her."

"Mia." Christian's tone becomes more serious. "You must promise me you're not going to leak anything to the media, or more specifically, you can't post anything about this on social media. I mean it, the same goes for Elliot." Christian says as looks Mia dead in the eyes. _He's not fucking around, he absolutely can't risk the paparazzi finding out. They will go digging, and lord knows, that shit ain't pretty._

Mia all but throws herself at Christian, embracing him so tight that she actually forces some air out of his lungs. "I promise I won't tell a soul." She says, hugging him and turning around to give Ana a hug as well.

"Don't forget! Sunday! See you guys!" She shouts as she scurries to the elevator, slipping her black wedges back on, probably to go on another shopping spree.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian's waiting by the staircase, dressed in dark jeans and a grey shirt. Finally, Ana emerges from her room.

She's wearing a simple, short sleeved, black dress that tightens at the waist and flows out at the bottom. She also paired it with a tight, leather brown jacket along with a pair of boots.

"Wow." Christian comments. Ana giggles as she mocks curtsy and graciously accepts Christian's extended hand as he twirls her around. It was funny, really, to think that they have only known each other for four days and just how comfortable they have become.

"Remember everything?" Christian asks. He wanted to make sure they wouldn't slip up in front of his family.

"Yes, we met through a mutual friend, Mr. Jeffery, the president of my University. I go to the University of Washington right here in Seattle. I have lived with my Uncle growing up, and he lives in Georgia." Ana rattles off the list of "facts" that Christian and her have created.

They have both decided that it was best to lie to his family. There were too many questions, and too little answers. Long ago, Christian has decided that he will bury his secret with Elena forever. He didn't want to burden his family. Over his lifetime, he has already fucked up one too many times; he has let them down; he has caused them all heartache. He was a broken branch grafted onto a different family tree, not because Grace and Carrick opted for a different destiny, but because Grace's heart was simply too big and she adopted him. Christian always wanted the best for his family, and he was convinced, he wasn't the best.

Christian picks up Ana's hand, lightly grazing his lips over her knuckles. "Thank you for doing this, sweetheart, my family's going to love you." Ana knew that his thanks had a lot more to do with covering up for him then meeting his family, but she didn't mind. She knew somethings were better left unsaid and it wasn't her place to judge him. Plus, it was easier for her as well. It was much easier to lie than to face the truth and questions about her past.

After a half-hour drive, Taylor pulls up to Grace's house and Christian didn't even have to knock as Grace was already waiting for him. She's smiling warmly as she opens her arms to her son. Ever since Christian was a little boy, Grace has watched him grow up in pain, sitting alone in playgrounds and crying at night because he couldn't sleep. Of course, Grace has tried to save him. She has dragged him to countless and world-known psychiatrist; she has put him on countless drugs and pills and tablets; and she has tried every medical as well as parenting tacit known to man, but nothing worked. Everyday Christian remained the same, secluded and isolated from the world, and everyday Grace has longed and prayed and hoped and dreamed for someone to save Christian. For someone to erase the untouchable scars left by his birth mom and her pimp. But now, that person was standing before her very eyes. Christian has finally found someone to love, and maybe, just maybe, she'll love him too.

Grace's caramel eyes twinkle and dance as she pulls Christian into a loving, motherly hug, and for a second, he hugs her back as well. "Hi, mama bear." He uses his long-forgotten nickname for her.

A small smile adores Ana's face as she watches mother and son. It was very clear that Grace was someone special to Christian.

"Oh, excuse my manners dear, how rude of me. I'm Grace." Grace says when she finally lets go of Christian and embraces Ana.

Ana offers her a small smile as she gently hugs her back. "Hi, Grace."

At this time, Elliot comes tumbling down the stairs with Mia running after him.

"See, I told you she was cute." Mia huffs, crossing her arms.

"So this is the girl that has Seattle's hottest, billionaire CEO head over heels." Elliot grins as he yanks Christian into a man hug, slapping him on the back, before he turns to shake Ana's hand.

"My lady." He bows as Ana giggles and Christian puts his arm around her, slightly annoyed that Elliot's being so friendly.

"Come dear, dinner's ready. I hope you like spaghetti." Grace says, ushering both Ana and Christian to the kitchen where Carrick's stirring a pot of sauce.

Grace helps Carrick take over the pasta as he goes wash his hands, and soon, the smell of meatball drifts through the air as the whole family situates themselves around the oval, dining table.

Everybody's quiet as Elliot clinks his fork against his glass and clears his throat. "Before we begin, I just want to say congratulations to my little brother. Bro, it's about time." Elliot says, flashing his infamous, cheeky grin.

Christian politely nods and raises his glass.

"And in celebration, I think you should kiss Ana." Elliot continues. _He has been dying for this moment… He has spent the better part of his high school life trying to bribe girls into being Christian's girlfriend, but he either scared them off or straight out declined. Now, his brother finally had a girl…and he'd finally get to witness a happy moment in Christian's life…_

This catches Christian by surprise and he blinks several time. When he looks up, everybody's eyes are gleaming with anticipation and Ana's squirming in her seat.

 _Shit…how should he navigate this? Christian's 99% sure Ana hasn't kissed anyone, and he didn't want to steal her first kiss…_

"Mom…" Christian whines, turning to the one person that will help him, and sure enough, Grace comes to his rescue although he can see the disappointment in her eyes. He hated that look, and Christian knew that, secretly, Grace wanted him to kiss Ana, perhaps even more so than Elliot.

"Elliot! Just because everybody's not like you doesn't mean you have the right to pressure other people." Grace chides.

"But mom…a kiss wouldn't hurt anyone. It's only a peck." Mia pouts, joining her oldest brother in Christian's torment.

Grace sighs, not knowing what to say, and Christian turns to look at Ana. She gives him a little shrug as she nervously gnaws on her lip. Christian contemplates this for another second before he gently leans over and presses a soft kiss to her forehead.

"There." He says, hoping to placate his rebellious siblings.

Elliot and Mia simultaneously roll their eyes. "That doesn't count."

Mia begins to pout, "Christian…" she complains, sticking out her bottom lip and giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

Christian's was just about to tell her to knock it off when small, delicate fingers lightly tug on his sleeves. "Maybe we should…you know…for them…" Ana whispers as Christian's eyes widen.

"You sure?" He breaths and Ana gives another little shrug and nod.

Unexpectedly, Christian's one hand drifts to Ana's waist as his other gently cups her face, allowing his thumb to caress her cheek. His breath tingles as he slowly brings his lips over hers.

Ana's own breath hitches when she feels Christian's lips softly close over her own. The kiss obliterated her every thought as the world melted away. He tasted exactly as she imagined, oceanic, like the perfect beach on a sunny day. He lips were salty mixed with a tinge of mint, and she could feel her frantically beating heart.

A kiss was, perhaps, the most sensual happening, aside from sex, but of course, Ana loved it, and she tries to stamp down the little bit of disappointment when his lips finally left hers.

Christian softly pants as he breaks away. He couldn't kiss her any longer, because if he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from pulling her close and devouring her. He needed to remind himself that this was just a show for his family; that it didn't mean anything, but damn it, Christian loved the kiss. He loved the way her lips gently molded to his; he loved the early morning dew smell of her hair; he loved the feeling of her face in his hand and her body in his embrace. He honestly never knew a kiss so innocent could be so intimate and electrifying.

Christian smiles, a bit embarrassed, as he tucks a fallen strand of hair behind Ana's ear before turning back to his family.

Elliot and Mia are both beaming from face to face and Grace looks like she's about to cry. Even Carrick, the stoic lawyer, has a ridiculous grin on.

"Happy?" Christian asks Elliot. He originally planned for his tone to sound annoyed, but it came out more breathy.

Elliot gives Christian a big, spaghetti sauce smile.

 _Yes, he was happy._

 _His brother kissed a girl._

XXXXXXXXXX

"So, Ana you said you use to live in Georgia with your uncle?" Carrick asks as the doorbell rings and Grace gets up to answer it, murmuring apologies about unexpected company.

Christian sits quietly, leaning back and enjoying the chocolate pudding while listening to Ana's conversation with his dad.

The front door opens and Christian hears Grace's voice. "Elena dear, how lovely it is for you to stop by." His entire body stiffens and Ana goes rigid as well. However, she tries to ignore the feeling of unease as she continues her conversation with Carrick.

Grace leads Elena to the dining room table as she chats amicably with her old friend. After five minutes, Grace goes to tell Carrick something and a slick hand travels across Christian's shoulder blade as Elena's sharp voice enters Ana's ears.

"Christian, it's been a long time since I've seen you. How are you darling?"

After their fight, Christian has been ignoring Elena. He has sent all her calls to voicemail and has deleted all of her emails without even reading them. He didn't need somebody who was willing to hurt a child in his life, but at the same time, he didn't have the heart to liquidate her solons. He has decided it was best to ignore her and let them both cool down.

Christian stares at Elena with frosty grey eyes, and instinctually, he pulls Ana a little closer to him and squeezes her knee, silently promising her that they'll leave soon.

When Elena sees that Christian's not going to acknowledge her, she goes to sit by the empty seat next to Ana. "And who is this?" She asks, smiling sweetly as shiver forms all along Ana's skin.

"She's my girlfriend. Now, if you'd excuse me, I'd promise to show Ana around." Christian says, his voice curt, as he stands up and gently tugs Ana with him.

"Christian! Don't be rude, Elena has just got here. I raised you better than that, young man." Grace scolds.

Christian counts to ten as his grip tightens around Ana. It wasn't Grace's fault, and as far as she was concerned, Elena was a good family friend. Christian, however, knew Elena. He knew her better than anyone else sitting in this room, and he knew her showing up today was no coincidence. She wanted to somehow, someway hurt Ana, and Christian wasn't about to let that happen.

"Mia." Christian calls and his sister immediately comes to his aid.

"Yes?"

"How about you show Ana around? You can also show her the new pool we installed." Christian suggests.

Mia's whole face lights up. She's been dying to talk with Ana and get to know her better.

"Come on, you need to see this pool. Christian had it built for us, and it has a fountain and everything." Mia starts rambling as she yanks Ana away.

Christian offers a silent prayer of thanks to God for Mia. He knew his sister would keep Ana safe, and now, he could deal with Elena. He plasters on a fake smile before tuning around. "Yes, how rude of me, I'm sorry. Did you want to talk with me about something?" Christian raises a challenging eyebrow at Elena and his voice was practically dripping with sarcasm. His moves were calculated. He sounded polite, and while Grace didn't suspect anything, Elena understood the true meaning behind his carefully formulated sentence. He was challenging her. He was challenging her to reveal the truth about Ana, and he knew, he knew full well that she couldn't. She wouldn't risk the chance of going to prison and destroying her little, precious social circle.

Elena brushes him off, smiling her irritatingly sweet smile. "Oh nothing, I just wanted to stop by and say hi. Grace told me about your new girlfriend. Congratulations, I wish you the best." Elena says and Christian needs to clench his teeth.

"Well, I'm very happy with her. Thank you for your concern." Christian all but growls.

"Oh, by the way, Andrea told me about your new trainee at GEH. How she's doing? I believe her name is Hannah, right?" Elena asks. No way was she going to let Christian win. He could challenge her all he wants, but she would challenge him right back.

Christian narrows his eyes. Elena really was pushing the envelope, and the "trainee" she was referring to wasn't an intern, but the girl that was suppose to be his submissive. She used the term "trainee" because it was how some dominants referred to the submissives they were training.

"I'll have you know she's doing perfectly fine, and what happens at GEH is not any of your business, I'll have a lengthy chat with Andrea about disclosing such information. Now, I better go find Ana, wouldn't want Mia to scare her off." Christian say, shooting Grace and Carrick a playful smile while throwing his napkin on the table and inwardly smirking when the napkin lands in Elena's dissert.

"Oops, my bad." Christian says, smiling smugly, as he strides out.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana's sitting by the pool, her feet in the water, as Mia drones on about some boutique that recently opened up. To be honest, Ana has tuned her out.

Ana kicks her feet, watching the little ripples of water form above the pool's green and blue surface, and her mind wonders to Elena. She can tell that Elena was somehow more to Christian, but she didn't know how, nor how a family so nice as the Greys could be associated with Elena.

"Hey, ready to leave?" Christian asks, suddenly appearing by the doorway. Ana smiles and nods as she allows him to pull her up and lock his arm around her.

They say their goodbyes and Christian re-promises several times that he'll bring Ana back. Elena says her goodbyes as well and Ana shivers against Christian when Elena shoots her a glare. Christian notices this and nails Elena with one of his own looks as he guides Ana to the car. "Ok, come on, sweetheart, hop in." He says.

In the car, Ana can hear her own heart hammering. So much has happened-meeting Christian's family, having her first kiss, Elena…

Christian's holding her hand and he's tracing soothing circles along her knuckles. "Sorry if my family scared you…especially about Elliot…and um…uh…the kiss" He stutters as he brings up their kiss. _Did she enjoy it as much as he did?_

Ana quickly interrupts him. "No, no, please don't apologize. Your family is lovely, and I kind of liked the kiss…" Ana confesses as her eyes dart away and she's blushing like crazy. Christian gives her a shy smile.

"Yeah, I liked it too."

As Taylor continues to drive through Seattle, Ana leans her head against Christian's shoulder. She can't believe she was ever afraid of this gentle giant.

"Christian?" She whispers. She hated to pry, but something has been bothering her. She didn't understand something.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Um…how did you know Elena?"

And when Christian becomes silent, she quickly adds. "You don't have to tell me. I was just curious. I know it's none of my business."

Christian contemplates this for another second, pinching the bridge of his nose. _He didn't want his shit dragging her down, but it's very clear she already has a suspension, and frankly, she deserves to know as well._

Finally, he answers. "She was my dominant."

Ana gasps. Sure, Elena has canned her but Christian? Christian was the nicest guy, and she was sure Christian's situation was different from hers. Plus, she's probably in her early fifties, and Christian was only twenty-two.

"I was fifteen." Christian answers Ana's unasked question as her eyes widen.

 _15? He was two years younger than she was._

"I know it's a hard concept to grasp, and I couldn't tell you why I did it, but in the long run, she made me a better person. She's a good, family friend as you saw tonight, and of course, nobody knows about us. I don't know how we worked out. I was a wild, testosterone driven teenager and she was thirty years over. I don't deny what happened was wrong, but it wasn't her fault, and in the end, she got what she deserved." Christian softly explains, thinking about the night when Lincoln found out and how Elena was rushed to the hospital.

Ana listens quietly and for a while, she doesn't say anything. She just lays her head on his shoulder and grips his hand.

"I'm sorry." She finally murmurs and gently squeezes his hand. She recognized Christian's pain and she knew no words could comfort him. He was a lost and confused child, and perhaps he still is. Elena took advantage of that and Ana acknowledged his pain.

In the darkening night, Christian smiles softly as he presses a soft kiss to her hair.

 **A/n-Sorry for the short chapter; I had the worst cold this week and didn't really feel up to par with writing.**

 **The next chapter is going to be about Ana's past (Finally!) Please leave a review if you have a second =)**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you so much for ALL of the lovely and kind reviews. They always make my day and motivate me to keep writing** **I tried to respond to most of them, but if I accidentally missed you, my apologies. Also, a Big Thanks to Queen Bee for helping me work on the idea with this chapter ^_^**

 **Warning: This is a dark chapter and contains themes of abuse/pain.**

 **Chapter 8-Our Pasts Will Haunt Us **

"Where are we going?" Ana asks as Christian rounds the corner.

"It's a surprise." Christian answers, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel, a mischievous smirk on his face, as he directs the black Audi through a beautiful neighborhood.

Children play on each side, some of them are fighting over a basketball and an old lady is walking her poodle. Ana always hated poodles.

"Christiannnn…" She whines, giving him her best pouting face. "Please tell me…where are we going?" she asks, staring longingly out the window.

"You'll see. We're almost there." Christian doesn't give anything away, the only change in his facial expression is his slightly widening smirk.

Ana huffs, crossing her arms, as Christian smiles further. Inside, she was dying to know, to figure out what they were doing in this sunny neighborhood. It was very upper-middle class, with green lawns and well-painted houses as well as two cars parked in each driveway. Several of the houses have small gardens filled with tulips, daffodils, and pansies.

"Ta da." Christian announces when they finally pull up to a cute, little blue house with white window sills. Nothing about the house was particular. It was very plain, your typical white picket fence.

Ana slants an eyebrow at him in confusion as she hesitantly gets out of the car. _Maybe he wanted to go house shopping?_

Christian turns off the engine and takes a deep breath, trying to contain his excitement. He felt like a little boy who was about to present a school-drawn picture to his mom. He knew Ana would like this surprise and all Christian wanted to do was to make her happy.

"I have somebody who I think you'll want to meet." Christian says, putting his one arm around Ana as he guides her up the stairs, ignoring her quizzical looks.

After two knocks, a middle-age woman swings open the door. Her honey blonde hair is right about shoulder length, and subtle wrinkles gather around her denim blue eyes. She's all smile as she extends her hand. "Mr. Grey, what a pleasure to meet you."

Christian firmly takes her hand and gives it a shake. "Please, Mrs. Kavanagh, call me Christian."

Mrs. Kavanagh sparkling blue eyes become a shade sadder for some unknown reason as she turns to shake Ana's hand as well.

"And you must be Ana." She says, her voice containing a tinge of regret. "I'm sorry we couldn't adopt you."

Ana's chest rises and falls with rapid breaths as her eyes widen and she can feel her frantic heart beating in her throat. _This is the lady who adopted Paul_ _..._

At this, a high pitch scream fills the room.

"Annieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

And suddenly, Paul, now 7 years old, was running full force into his foster sister's arms. Ana barely has enough time to catch him as he leaps into her embrace, and then, they were both hugging and crying. Paul's legs are tightly wrapped around Ana and she's rocking him from side to side, gripping him as if he might disappear and she was trying to save him.

"Annie…" Paul mumbles into her shirt but Ana just shushes him and tightens her hold. She was never going to let go.

"Oh Paul, you're ok, thank god you're ok." she murmurs as she sinks down on the ground and Paul straddles her. Tears are pouring out of Ana's eyes and she doesn't even bother to wipe them.

It must have been ten minutes before Ana pulls away, sniffling as she strokes Paul's golden, soft curls. Paul was ok. He was healthy and standing right before her, and in that moment, that's all that mattered.

"You've gotten so big…" she whispers, still unwilling to let go. This was like a dream. A wonderful, glorious dream.

It's just now that Ana realizes Christian and Mrs. Kavanagh have left them alone as she smears her tears. Paul gives her a big, toothless grin.

"Look, Annie, I lost my tooth." He says, pointing to the empty gap in his mouth and Ana laughs a teary laugh.

"Oh baby…I missed you." She whispers one last time, pulling him into another hug as she kisses his forehead.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian and Mrs. Kavanagh are watching from the doorway, a knowing smile on each of their faces, as brother and sister reunite.

"Come on, we shouldn't pry. It's their special moment." Mrs. Kavanagh eventually says, leading Christian to the dining room.

Christian wanted to protest. He wanted to stomp his feet and dictate to stay and make sure Ana was alright, but he knew Mrs. Kavanagh was right. It was their moment.

"You know, I've always felt guilty about adopting Paul." Mrs. Kavanagh quietly admits as Christian sips the cup of Starbucks-flavored coffee she has prepared. "I remember going to the foster home and seeing all of these kids that needed a family, Ana was one of them. However, our financial situation could only allow us to adopt one. I remember…" Mrs. Kavanagh swallows at this and chokes on a silent sob. "I remember when we tried to take Paul away, he wouldn't let go. He kept on saying that we needed to take Ana as well."

"What happened then?" Christian asks, rubbing the inside of his thumb, a nervous habit. There was a part of him that wanted to demand someone to tell him every detail of Ana's entire life, but at the same time, he didn't want to know. He didn't want to know the horrors she's been through.

"And then…" Mrs. Kavanagh pauses before she continues. "I remember Ana crouching down and whispering something to Paul. I couldn't exactly hear what she was saying...but it was somewhere along the lines of telling him to be a good boy and that she will be fine and that she wasn't hurt and that if he was good, he'll get to see her again."

"I knew it was a lie…" her voice becomes smaller. "I knew chances were they will never see each other again. Later on that week, I found a bruise on Paul's back and when I asked him about it, he told me it was nothing. He told me Ana had a lot more of them." She begins to break down and Christian, not knowing what to do, pathetically pats her back.

"I…I've…tried to call the authorities…to report whoever did this…but they told me I was being delusional, and when I sent them pictures, they accused me of the abuse instead." Mrs. Kavanagh explains through teary eyes and Christian clenches his fists. Whoever did this was going to pay. Dearly.

"Thank you for reaching out…I know we aren't the people you usually associate yourself with…"

"Please don't say that." Christian immediately reassures her. "I don't think badly about you at all, quite the opposite, what you did for Paul is extremely admirable, and I am the one that's grateful. You could've easily denied Ana the chance of seeing him."

As soon as Christian finishes his conversation with Mrs. Kavanagh, Ana comes in with Paul. His face is buried in her hair and his two legs are dangling from either side of her as she gently rocks him. Christian can see the puffiness around Ana's eyes and her face is tear-streaked.

"Thank you." She mouths to him as two more tears slip out of her eyes.

Christian offers her a small, sad smile. Something has stirred within him when he saw Ana with Paul, and watching them, Christian realizes that, this is what he wanted as a little boy. He wanted what every child wanted. He wanted someone to hug and cradle him, the same way Ana was cradling Paul. He wanted someone to love him and protect him.

Paul's blue eyes shine with wonder as he looks at his older, foster sister. He hasn't seen Annie for almost a year. This is the person that Paul trusted better than anyone. He was only two when he came to foster care, and at the time, the girl he called Annie was 12. The guy who lived with them was mean and scary and bad. Paul was just a baby, but he remembered Ana taking care of him. She would always sing him songs and tell him bedtime stories. She would cook him fried rice and give him a bath when he needed one. Sometimes, she would hide him in the closet when the bad guy drank too much. Paul never understood why Annie hid him in the closet, he only knew that he liked her too much to disobey and come out. Once, the bad guy punched him, but she was able to save him. And it was only after then that Paul realized the blue and purple spots along Ana's arms were actually bruises and that it hurts to press on them. They lived like that for four years, and when Paul became six, his new mommy and daddy adopted him, and he had to leave Annie. But Annie told him that if he was a good boy, she'll come back, and now, she was here. She looked happy and healthy. She was still very thin, but her face didn't have any black marks on it.

The doorbell rings, and Mrs. Kavanagh stands up, brushing her hands on her pants as she hurries to get the door.

"Paul?" A singsong like voice rings through the hall as Ana sets Paul down.

"Kate!" He screams as the blonde-hair-blue-eye girl hoists him up. "Did you miss me, buddy?" she asks, unceremoniously dropping her backpack on the floor.

Kate is an exact replica of her mother, and she smiles broadly at Ana and Christian. "Hi, I'm Kate." She says, shifting Paul into her one arm as she extends her other hand so both Ana and Christian can introduce themselves.

"Are you guys staying for dinner?" she asks.

Before Christian could answer, Paul bounces up and down in Kate's arm. "Yeah! Dinner! Can you please stay Annie? Pretty Pleaseee?"

Ana nervously bites her lip as she looks at Christian, and he shrugs, indicating it was the Kavanaghs choice.

Mrs. Kavanagh smiles widely. "Of course they are staying. Ana, do you want to show me how you make fried rice? Paul always complains that my fried rice isn't as good."

Ana's shoulders relaxes as an easy smile graces her features. "Of course." She says, following Mrs. Kavanagh into the kitchen as Kate goes upstairs to change.

And suddenly, Christian is left alone with Paul…

Paul pokes the side of Christian's leg, cocking his head to the side. _Who is this guy with the grey eyes?_ Christian smiles down at the little boy and lifts him onto his lap.

For a moment, they just stare at each other, as if they were trying to figure the other person out.

After a long time, Paul asks. "Are you Ana's daddy?"

Christian almost snorts as he chokes on his laugh, trying and failing to stifle his grin.

 _Let's not go there._

"No," Christian says. "I'm not her father."

"Then who are you?"

Christian didn't know how to answer Paul nor did he know how to explain their relationship to a seven year old. Finally, he decides to lie. The same lie he told his family. "I'm her boyfriend."

"Oh…" Paul briefly furrows his little eyebrows, thinking seriously about some matter. "Well, you better treat her nicely, Mister. You can't be like the bad guy."

This catches Christian by surprise, and he fails to hide his shock.

"The bad guy?"

"Uh-huh, the bad guy. He always said Ana was his girlfriend."

A horrible thought pops into Christian's head and he knew he shouldn't. He knew he should wait for Ana to open up instead of prying into her personal life, but he couldn't help it. He desperately wanted to know what happened to her. He wanted to know who had hurt her.

"Paul?" Christian asks, shooting a cautious glance in the direction of the kitchen where Ana was cooking to make sure she wouldn't overhear anything. "Can you tell me more about the bad guy?"

Paul squints his eyes at Christian. "I don't think I should tell you. I don't know you." He says, very matter-of-factly.

Christian had to give it to the boy, he was smart.

"Well…Do you know Ana?" Christian asks, and Paul nods. "You see, I want to help Ana, and I need to know what happened to her. I can report the bad guy and get him locked up." Christian explains, serious. He felt shitty. He was trying to manipulate a child into surrendering information, but he comforted himself by saying that it was for Ana.

Paul thinks about this for another minute or two. "Um…" he hesitates as Christian rubs his back, trying to comfort him. "Um…the bad guy really liked this bottle…" he begins. "I don't know what was in the bottle…sometimes it was this weird, yellow liquid. It kind of looked like pee. Ana told me I must never touch that bottle."

Christian nods, listening intently. _The bottle must have been whiskey or alcohol_ _of some sort..._

"Anything else?"

"Um…most of the time the bad guy was asleep, but sometimes he would wake up…" Paul continues, a shudder traveling through his body as Christian holds him closer. "And Ana would hide me in the closet. I never came out unless she told me. She's usually crying when I do and there's always blood on the floor." Paul says as Christian's whole body stiffens.

 _Blood? What kind of blood?_

"Do you know where the blood came from?" Christian asks, wanting to squeeze his eyes shut. _Please God, no, please don't let it be what he thinks it is._

Paul gives Christian a confused look. "I think it was from her back…" he answers.

Christian breaths a sigh of relief. "Not her legs?" he checks as Paul becomes more confused. "Why would it be from her legs?" he asks.

Christian immediately shakes his head. "Nothing, don't worry about it." He says, bouncing Paul up and down on his knees.

 _Now there's only one question left. Why, or more importantly, how was her back bleeding?_

Christian thinks back to Ana. _Was there anything that scared her? Anything that she was obviously afraid of?_

And then, the answer pops into his head, clear as day.

 _Belts._

Christian was sure of it.

He remembered her reaction in his playroom. He knew his playroom was scary, but out of all of the contraptions, shackles, canes, and ropes, the only thing that Ana couldn't bring herself to touch was a piece of leather. _How could he be so careless? All of the signs were there._

Christian then thinks back to the first time he saw Ana, kneeling naked in his office, and the two scars on her back.

 _Yes, they were the width of a belt._

 _Why didn't he see it before?_

However, one more thing still puzzled Christian. _Belts didn't usually leave_ _marks_ _, or cause blood for that matter. You would almost need to use an unimaginable strength to leave_ _permanent_ _scars like that..._

Just then, Ana walks in, a huge smile on her face. Looking at her, all smiling and happy, Christian would've never guessed what she's been though.

"What are you two talking about?" she asks as she hoists Paul into her arms and Christian fidgets in his chair.

 _Maybe Paul would keep a secret..._

"Christian asked me about the bad guy." Paul announces.

 _Never mind._

Ana shoots Christian a hurt and confused look. _She would rather not have Paul remember those memories, if he had any that is..._ In foster care, Ana has always taken on the role of the big sister. Her thin shoulders have learned to carry the weight of caring for a child. No matter what, Ana has always put Paul first. She has shielded him from every beating, every angry punch. Paul was the reasons why Ana never left foster care. Too many times, she had thought of running away, or even taking her own life, but every time Ana looked at the foster care door and thought about running, she would remember Paul. She would remember she couldn't leave a defenseless child to a monster. The day Paul was adopted was the happiest and saddest day in her life. Happy because Paul was finally safe and had a good home and she could be free, sad because she had to say goodbye.

Ana didn't want Christian to know about her past. Actually, she didn't want anyone to know. Ana's whole life was based on hiding and running away from her problems. In her mind, if she didn't have to think about it, she didn't have to face it. She has trained herself to forget about everything. She has trained herself to lock and bury all of her painful memories. She has forgotten about the pleading, the crying, the stinging, the smell of her own flesh burning, the sound of the belt cutting through the air. However, as much as she tried, some memories still haunted her. She still couldn't control the shiver that would run through her every time she saw a beer bottle, or a belt, or even just an angry face. And just as Ana thought she was getting over her past, just as she thought she was learning to cope, Christian was trying to bring it all back.

Ana knew. She knew he probably meant it in a completely harmless way. Hell, he probably just wanted to help her, but she didn't need his help. She would deal with this on her own, in her own time. This wasn't anybody's problem but hers.

Ana looks at Christian for a little longer as she lets out a soft sigh, and Christian hangs his head in shame. _He shouldn't have gone digging, much less asking a child about such matters._

"Come on, dinner's all set. We don't want it to get cold now, do we?" Ana asks, returning to her cheery personality as she nuzzles her nose against Paul's and he giggles.

Dinner is spent in light hearted conversation, but Ana doesn't acknowledge Christian. She didn't want his pity. She didn't want his sad eyes filled with compassion staring at her. Plus, her attention was on Paul as she coaxes him to eat some vegetables as well as fried rice. And as much as Ana was jealous of the Kavanaghs for being able to keep Paul, she could see that Paul was happy and well taken care of. No more did he have to live in fear or worry about food. His old skinny form was now slightly chubby and muscular.

"Paul, say goodnight to Ana and Christian. It's time for bed, buddy." Mrs. Kavanagh finally says as Paul's eyelids begin to droop shut. He has had an exciting day, and his energy was waning.

"Mommy…" he says, holding up two tired arms as Mrs. Kavanagh picks him up. Watching them, Ana felt a twinge of bittersweet. This was Paul's new home, she realizes. And even though she wanted to be the one that tucks him in and reads him a bedtime story, she knew that Paul was in good hands.

Christian and Ana both say their goodbyes, and Christian promises Mrs. Kavanagh that they will come visit soon.

Exhausted, Ana leans against Christian's shoulders as he calls Taylor to collect the car. He didn't feel like driving.

"Thank you…" Ana whispers when they are both in the back seat of the Audi and Christian strokes her soft, brown hair as she continues. "I don't know how you found Paul, or the Kavanaghs, but thank you. You have done so much for me. I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you." She whispers quietly.

"It's not a problem." Christian murmurs, planting two soft kisses along her hair. His voice becomes soft and uncertain as he cautiously tries to bring up the next topic. "About Paul…he told me somethings…." Christian begins, rubbing his hand up and down Ana's arm.

"Paul doesn't know what he's talking about. Nothing happened to me." Ana abruptly cuts him off, staring straight ahead. _She didn't want to dig up her past, and even though she knew Christian deserved an explanation, she couldn't bring herself to tell him. It was simply too dark, and she wasn't ready to face it._

"Ana." Christian pleads. "You can tell me. I'm here to help you. I can get Steve locked up…I know what he did to you…I…"

"And what did he do to me?" Ana's eyes flare with anger and hurt. "How did you even know his name? Huh? I'm telling you, nothing happened to me. You need to let this go."

Christian draws a long breath before slowly spitting it out. His grey orbs are clouded with hurt and confusion. This wasn't his Ana. His Ana was nice and kind and warm. _Why wouldn't she let him in?_

"Ana, sweetheart, you don't have to lie to me. I know Steve was abusive. I know he left scars on your back. Please, sweetheart, talk to me."

Angry tears fill Ana's eyes, and when Christian tries wiping his thumb along her cheeks, she bats his hand away, moving to the other side of the car and staring out the window as tears drip down her face.

"He didn't do anything." She stubbornly insists. _Why? Why_ _wouldn't_ _Christian let this go? Couldn't he see that she wasn't ready to talk about it?_

"Ana, I only want to help you. I know something bad has happened to you. I can get you help." Christian's almost begging her.

He swallows harshly as he says the next sentence. "I know the scars on your back are from a belt…" he whispers and Ana whirls around.

"Who told you that?" She demands.

"Ana, I am a dominant. I know what belt scars look like." Christian explains, shamefully. _It was the partial truth…and although Christian didn't see it at first, after Paul's explanation, he was able to put two and two together._

Ana needs to close her eyes to stop the painful memories from overwhelming her, and when she re-opens them, the fear and hurt Christian sees cuts him.

"They weren't from a belt. I fell down some stairs." Ana forces herself to lie even though all she wanted to do was curl up and cry. She needed to be strong. She needed to convince Christian that nothing was wrong with her.

Christian runs both his hands through his hair in frustration. _Why? Why couldn't she admit that she_ _is hurting_ _? Why couldn't she allow herself help? Did she not understand? Did she not understand how powerful he was? He could have Steve killed if he wanted to._

In the silent night, Christian reaches out puts his arm around Ana, hoping to provide her with at least a little comfort. He knew that this wasn't the time and that, tomorrow, he will find out the truth…

XXXXXXXXXX

 _(Next morning)_

Christian looks down at the belt in his hand, the thick brown leather doubled over. In his heart, he doesn't want to do this, but his head is telling him that it's necessary. He needed to find out what happened to Ana. Christian knew that the moment he snaps this belt together, he would have his answer. If his theory was correct, and Ana has suffered abuse, then the sound of a belt would definitely scare her, or at least cause a reaction.

Looking up at Ana, completely unaware, doing the dishes, Christian hated himself. He hated himself for not being able to gain enough of Ana's trust; he hated himself for being fifty shades fucked up; he hated himself for ever considering the idea of terrorizing the truth out of Ana. And even though his heart is conflicted with his head and he doesn't want to do this, Christian needed to find out the truth. So with a deep breath, he folds the belt, pauses, and snaps it shut as the sound of leather whistled through the air, echoing against his penthouse walls.

 **A/n: I know this was such a mean place to leave the story, but I'm already a third of the way done with my next update and I will try to have it up in two or three days' time so I don't leave you guys hanging for too long ;)**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Ok! So I'm finally done with this chapter (I think this is the fastest I've ever written so I didn't leave you guys hanging for too long) Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this, but please keep in mind, I literally just edited this (like 5 minutes ago), so there are probably some grammar mistakes. I tried to catch all of them, but I'm sure I slipped up some.**

 **A HUGE THANKYOU to all of your AMAZING REVIEWS and PMs, because I've been so busy with writing this chapter, I haven't had time to respond to any of them, but I promise I will respond to both last chapter and this chapter reviews. I just want you guys to know how much I appreciate them.**

 **Ok, so I hope I did a good job with this chapter since this is like a big part of my story and reveals most of Ana's past.**

 **Warning: Dark chapter with themes of abuse.**

 **Chapter 9-Panic **

The snap of the belt echoes through Escala, and briefly, Ana freezes, her whole body going still as she drops the plate she's holding, and everything comes over her like a nuclear bomb. _Someone has a belt…_

Christian watches in horror as Ana covers her ears and screams, her body sinking to the ground.

Ana can't register anything, her brain a foggy, jumbled mess, as unwelcomed memories flood her every sense. In her mind, she's back. She's back to the everyday beatings; she's back to the crying at night; she's back to the pleading, the stinging, the shivering. She's back to everything she's been trying to run away from. All of her fears come tumbling out, unchecked by her brain as she begins to slowly rock as panic enters her bloodstream, and her body begins to shut down. Fire seems to spread through her throat and lungs, burning up whatever precious oxygen she had left. Ana clutches her chest as she struggles to gulp some air, trying to fight the feeling of being dragged into the hopeless darkness.

In the distance, Ana can hear people shouting.

"Taylor! What's happening to her? Why can't she stop shaking? Is she breathing? Oh god, what did I do?"

Ana thinks the voice belongs to Christian.

"Sir, I need you to calm down. Ana's having a panic attack."

Ana feels strong hands grab her shoulders. "Ana? Sweetie? I need you take some deep breaths for me, can you do that? Come on sweetie, breath."

Ana doesn't recognize this voice. All she knows is someone has a belt.

"Please…don't hurt Paul…belt…hurt _…_ please…stop…no….no, no, no…please…."

"Ana." The voice is stronger now. "Ana. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe. Paul's safe. No belt." The person is chanting this phrase over and over again as Ana feels her rapid breathing gradually calm and she hiccups a little, her tears easing up although she's still sniffling.

"That's good. Very good. Come on, take a couple more deep breaths…In and out…"

Ana now knows that the person is Taylor, and she slowly unscrews her eyes. Immediately, her blue orbs connect with Christian. His grey eyes are wide and panicked, and it's clear he's been running his hands through his hair.

"Ana…" Her name is a painful whisper from his lips as he crouches down, reaching out his thumb to brush away one of her tears.

Ana's eyes drift to the belt discarded on the floor, and as if her panic attack is on replay, she begins to scramble backwards. Hearing the belt is one thing, but seeing it is another. Ana can no longer suppress her fears, and suddenly, the person in front of her is not Christian. In her mind, he was Steve. He was here to hurt her, and panic, once again, grips her as reality becomes nightmares.

"Christian." Ana hears Taylor grits. "Leave."

"No! I need to be here, let me try to talk to her."

"Ana?" Christian calls. "Sweetheart?" she feels his muscular arms trying to wrap around her, and that's when the real panic begins to set in. _Steve. Steve was trying to grab her. He was going to whip her and punch her and beat her…_

She begins to trash as he pulls her into his embrace. "No, no, no, no…no…" Her arms and legs work as she violently kicks and jerks.

"Ana! Ana! Sweetheart, it's me! I'm not going to hurt you. Sweetheart, I'm so sorry, so sorry. I'm not going to hurt you. Calm down. Please calm down." Christian's hold is firm yet gentle, but Ana doesn't hear him. The only thing she hears is the sound of the belt.

Suddenly, Ana feels someone forcing Christian's arms off her. "Mr. Grey. Leave. She's scared of you, and she's not going to calm if you are here."

 _It's Taylor._

"No! I'm not leaving!"

"LEAVE!" This time, it was a command.

Ana doesn't know how long it's been, maybe five minutes, or maybe five hours, but her crying and shaking eventually dies down to the occasional hiccup and shiver.

She registers someone stroking her hair, and she thinks she can smell Gail's faint perfume. She recognizes the hard, island counter behind her and realizes that she's in the kitchen.

"Ana?" The panic in her body starts to fade away as she identifies Taylor's voice, and when she bravely opens her eyes, Gail's crouched by her as well.

Christian's nowhere to be seen. Neither is the belt.

"Here dear, drink some water." Gail nudges a tall glass of water against Ana's lips, and she shakily takes a sip. The cool water travels down her throat and into her stomach, washing away the residue of her fear, as Ana takes a couple of more sips.

Gail smiles encouragingly at her. "There you go dear. Good job." She coaxes and Ana manages a little smile. Gail was so nice.

Ana stays like that for a few more minutes, with Gail on one side, and Taylor on the other, as she recollects herself.

She tries to stand up and almost falls, but thankfully, Taylor catches her. He keeps his hands around her as he helps her up, and his face is set in a grim line.

"Ana, how about you go with Gail to her suite? I think it would be best if you keep your distance with Christian, just for a little bit." He proposes and Ana nods. She wasn't ready to face Christian. She didn't want him to be upset with her…

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian's pacing back and forth in his study as he tugs on his hair. "Fuck!" He exclaims, throwing a glass vase at the door, as he watches a million pieces of glass shards scatter across the floor.

 _How could he be so stupid? How could he not think of the possibility of scaring her so bad to the point of a panic attack?_

The second he saw Ana cover her ears and lower herself to the ground, he regretted it. He regretted trying to terrorize the truth out of her.

 _Seeing her break down like that, it did something to him. Christian didn't know what, all he knew was that his heart scrunched up and practically died on the spot, and when Taylor told him to leave, when Taylor told him that he was scaring her, the feeling only intensified._

"Oh Ana, I'm so sorry." Christian murmurs to the wall, wondering when he could go out to beg for her forgiveness.

Christian understands triggers. He understands why Ana reacted how she did. It was the same with him. Even after 18 years, Christian still tensed up at the smell of a smoke filled cigarette or the mention of cocaine. He knew how hard it was to control one's fears, especially those of abuse, and he was sure, he would react the same way if the positions were reversed, probably worse.

 _Why didn't he think of this before?_

Plus, Ana's wounds were still fresh. Whenever this happened, it wasn't that long ago. She didn't have the same amount of time to heal as he did. She didn't have time to get over all of her hurt and trauma. She didn't have Grace and Carrick and Mia and Elliot to help erase her scars. Heck, she didn't even have Flynn to help guide her.

 _Bottom line: It was wrong for him to scare her, whatever his reasonings are._

Christian runs his hand through his hair one more time as his eyes travel to his belt thrown on the floor. He has picked it up on his way here. It was a belt from his playroom. The brown leather is rough and the shiny buckle seems to be glaring at him.

Christian sighs as he hides the belt in one of his desk drawers, making a mental note to get rid of it later.

After a long time, Christian pushes himself up and ventures out. He peeks his head around the kitchen corner, but Ana is nowhere to be seen. Right now, all he wanted to do was to run to her and hug her and kiss away her tears.

Just then, Taylor walks by, carrying two mugs of tea, and he gives Christian a sympathetic smile. "Ana's fine. She's a little shaky, but she'll be ok." He answers Christian's unasked question, and Christian allows himself to briefly close his eyes, an array of emotion fluttering across his face.

He does his best to keep the anxiety out of his voice as he whispers his next sentence. "Do you think…Do you think she'll forgive me?"

Looking at his boss, so worried and unlike his old self, Taylor softens. "I'm sure she will. Ana's very understanding and kind. However, if I were you, I'd sit down and talk with her. Also, don't try anything rash, she's very fragile right now. Give her some time, Gail has her now and she's taking care of her. Maybe wait until dinner, let her rest some." Taylor suggests.

Christian wonders if Taylor was always this insightful.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana's sitting on Gail's couch and an episode of Friends is lightly buzzing on the TV. Gail's side of the apartment was much cozier, decorated with family portraits and several pots of flowers.

"Ana dear? Are you sure you're ok? Can I get you anything? " Gail asks for the millionth time, and Ana politely shakes her head. "No, I'll be fine." She whispers.

At this, Taylor comes in with two cups of tea and Ana graciously welcomes the herbal scent. She was a tea type of person.

Ana was grateful for Taylor and Gail. They were both so nice, and neither of them said a word. They accepted her need for silence and didn't push her, and the only movement in the, little, cozy apartment that afternoon was Gail's occasional squeeze of Ana's hand and Taylor's periodic check to see if she wanted more tea. Ana appreciated their quiet support.

Inside, she felt guilty as hell. She knew she should offer both of them an explanation. She knew she should go find Christian and confess everything, but she couldn't. Not yet. So, she did what she can, which was mostly watch TV and temporarily forget about her unhappiness.

Outside, the sun was beginning to set, and watching the hues of purple, blue, and gold, Ana thinks about how nice it would to be a bird, to be able to fly away into that vast sky and escape.

Ana wishes she could be stronger. She wishes she could face what has happened. She wishes she didn't have to jump at every sudden noise or movement. She was still trying to recover from the shock of this afternoon. If she closes her eyes, she can still see Steve, all angry faced, gripping the belt. Ana knew that Christian wasn't Steve, but when she saw him holding the belt, it just became too real, and she couldn't separate the two.

Ana shivers again. She wishes Christian would come see her. She wanted to apologize and tell him everything. She didn't want to live in fear of Christian. _Somehow, Christian was different…_

At some deep level, Ana thinks Christian understands her and her pain, she just didn't know how. All she knew was that Christian would never hurt her. He was the reason why Ana believed in kindness in this world. No matter what bad she endured, she would always remember Christian. She would remember the first time she saw him and how he gently dabbed her tears; she would remember how he taught her how to dance; she would remember their tender first kiss. In five days' time, Christian has become so, so dear to her, and Ana was ready to trust him. She was ready to bare her heart and let him in.

"Gail?" Ana asks, lifting her head. "Do you think Christian's…mad at me?" her voice straining as Gail gently rubs her back.

"No dear, why would you say that?"

"Well…" Ana trails off, picking at the fabric on the couch. "It's just ...that…he hasn't come to see me…and I…sort of…lied to him…"

Gail softens. "Oh darling, you must believe me, Christian isn't mad at you, and he isn't mad about you lying either. He understands darling." Gail says, and Ana feels slightly better as she leans her head against Gail.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian's standing before Gail's door, his hand hesitating to knock.

 _What if Ana didn't want to see him?_

After a while, he decides that it was useless. He would risk her anger if it meant that he got a chance to make sure she was ok.

He softly knocks, and Taylor opens the door. His usual stoic face seems tired, matching Christian's. The two guys give each other an understanding smile, and Taylor steps aside so Christian could see Ana.

She's curled up, her knees tucked under her chin, and her body forms a sad, little ball as her blue eyes stare aimlessly out the window. Gail's stroking her hair, soothing her.

Looking at her, so sad and broken down, Christian felt as if a wolf was clawing at his chest, tearing out his trembling heart. He never wanted to see her like this. This was never his intension.

Gail looks up, and she offers Christian a little frown. She was not very happy with him, but nevertheless, she leans down and whispers something in Ana's ears.

New tears well in Ana's eyes at the mention of his name, _He came to see her…_ and she lifts her head. "Hi, sweetheart." Christian says, forcing the corners of his lips to twitch up and smile, but the smile doesn't quite reach his eyes, and it's missing its usual, left dimple.

"Hi…" She stifles a tiny sob.

In a second, Christian's by her side, and he gently thumbs away her tears. "Oh baby…" He whispers, "I'm so sorry, so fucking sorry." as Ana sobs into her hands.

"I…I…didn't mean to…lie…" She's crying and talking at the same time as Christian rubs her back and arms, trying to calm her, but Ana insists on continuing. "I'm sorry…I'll tell you everything…don't be mad…I promise I'll tell you everything." She hiccups and Christian tugs her onto his lap, enfolding her shivering body close to his.

"Shhh…Shhh, sweetheart. I need you to calm down. Nobody's mad, and you don't need to tell me anything you don't want to. This is completely my fault, please calm down." Christian pleads, rocking her from side to side and whispering sweet nothings in her ears.

Ana tries to stop crying, she really does, but the more she tries, the harder it gets, and she hiccups as her body continues to shiver.

Christian's beginning to become worried. _She hasn't been beating herself up about this? Has she?_

"Please baby…I need you to calm down. Take some breaths for me, ok?" Christian asks, continuing to rock and hold her, providing as much comfort as he can.

Ana just cries into his chest, her body heaving with heart-breaking sobs. This was her breaking point, being held in Christian's arms. She has been strong for too long, and the minutes she felt Christian's strong arms wrap around her, she collapsed, her body finally surrendering to all of the pain and hurt and abuse she has suffered. Ana hated to admit it, but she needed it. She needed Christian's warm embrace. She needed all his little kisses and soothing words. She needed his cheeky grin and his sparkling grey eyes. She just needed him, and in his arms, she felt safe, protected and loved.

"Chris…tian?" She whispers, her voice cracking before she could even finish his name.

"Yes, baby?" Christian asks, immediately reassuring her and brushing away some of her matted hair. Christian doesn't even realize that he's been calling her baby.

"Do you think…you can…stay with me tonight? I'm…I'm scared…" Ana whimpers, her fingers gripping tighter onto the edge of his shirt.

"Sure sweetheart, do you want your room or my room?" Christian asks, his heart breaking a little bit more when he hears how emotional she is.

"My room…" Ana whispers as Christian stands up, placing each of his hand underneath her thighs so she doesn't slip as she locks her legs around him.

"Hold on tight, yeah?" Christian asks and Ana nods into his shoulders.

Before leaving, Christian gives Gail a small, grateful smile. He clearly hasn't appreciated her enough.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana's sniffling in Christian's arms while he gently runs his one hand through her hair, and he's regarding her with concerned, gray eyes as two big, crocodile tears roll down her cheeks. He has been so patient and gentle with her, Ana wonders what she did to deserve this kindness. _Shouldn't Christian be running his empire instead of taking care of a wounded dove?_

"I'm sorry, I'm being such a big baby. I can't even stop crying." She rasps, smearing her tears away with the back of her hands as Christian tucks a strand of hair behind her ears.

"Sweetheart." Christian murmurs. "it's ok to cry, you've been through a lot. Crying is a healthy emotion, don't leave it all pent up and become a jerk like me."

This earns Christian a little, teary laugh as Ana continues to wipe some of her tears, allowing Christian to rub her back as she does so. "I don't think you're a jerk." She murmurs softly.

Christian stifles his smile and gives her an are-you-kidding-me-look. "What I did to you today was a very jerkish thing." He confesses sincerely as Ana shrugs, pretending to be indifferent.

"Well…I was the one that lied…I don't blame you…I know you just wanted to help."

Christian eyes crinkle as he smiles down at her. "Regardless, it was very mean and inconsiderate of me. I promise, from now on, I won't ask about your past unless you want to talk about it. Just know, I'm always here for you, or if not me, I also know a good psychiatrist, Flynn. He might be of some help." Christian suggest, and Ana scoots closer to him.

"How can you say you don't have a heart?" She mutters as Christian strokes her hair, at a loss of how to answer her question.

At this point, the sun has completely set, and Ana's room is casted into a dark shadow as they both lay awake, staring at each other.

Finally, Ana lifts her head to study Christian's strikingly grey eyes as she runs her fingers along his stubbles and giggles, but as soon as the giggle comes, it disappears, and she becomes sad again.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Christian asks, gently brushing away one of her tears with his thumb. _He felt like crying himself._

"Christian…" Ana's voice trembles and Christian's heart twists. "Do you think my dad is disappointed in me?" Her lips quiver and few tears fill her eyes.

Christian frowns, pulling her a little closer. _He has totally forgotten about Ray, on top of everything she's been through, Ana also had to deal with the grief of losing her father._

"No baby, why would you say that?" Christian asks.

"Because…Because…" Tears drip down Ana's chin. "Because I'm so weak. I couldn't even protect Paul, and I can't talk about my past…and I also basically sold myself…He's probably so mad, he probably wishes he never had me…not that it matters now…since he…already died…"

Christian slowly sits up, leaning against the headboard and tugging Ana onto his lap. "No baby, don't say that." He whispers. "You're not weak, not at all. Sweetheart, you're so strong; you must believe that. I wish I could show you your strength and if I was your father, I would be so, _so_ proud to have you, no matter if I'm on earth or not. Nobody can go through what you've been through and come out as strong as you are and how can you say that you didn't protect Paul? When I see Paul, you know what I see? I see a little boy, happy and healthy, all because of you. Baby, don't degrade yourself like that. Hell, I'm not even your father, and I'm proud of you." Christian says, planting multiple kisses along her hairline.

"Really?" Ana asks, sniffling. This was the first time she has received any form of validation in the past seven years. Ever since Ray passed, she had no one to praise her, no one to reward her, no one to tell her that she was doing a good job or that she was a good girl. And every child, no matter how old or small, always craved the assurance, the knowledge, that somebody, somewhere, was proud of them.

"Yes." Christian answers, completely honest.

Ana snuggles deeper into Christian's embrace, and she knew she was ready. She was ready to talk to him about everything. "Can I tell you about Steve?" She whispers as Christian's eyes widen.

"Baby, you sure? You don't have to tell me anything. I understand, really, I do."

Ana shakes her head. "No, you have a right to know. I trust you" She gulps and Christian nods as she begins.

"You were pretty much right. My dad passed away when I was 10…" she whimpers, and Christian gently squeezes her. "They put me in foster home, and at first, I thought everything was normal. Steve was kind of distant, but he was never abusive. Then after some time, when he got money from the foster program, he started to drink. At first, I didn't understand what he was drinking but it shortly became clear. He was ok most of the times, except for the fact that there was rarely food in the house, and I had to ask our old neighbor to give us some. Anyways, like I said, he was ok, he would just drink and pass out, and I pretty quickly learned to care for myself. It wasn't great, but it was ok." Ana pauses, mentally preparing herself as she takes a few deep breaths.

"Then Paul came, and that's when it got worse. He would start saying weird things like how I belonged to him and all of this other stuff that I didn't understand…but he only said it when he was drunk, and then, he started to get really drunk. He would yell at me and tell me nobody would ever want me, that I was a whore." Ana stares down at her knotted fingers, trying not to sniffle. "I didn't even know what a whore was, he would also try some other weird shit like pulling off my clothes, but I never let him…" Ana shudders at this and Christian tightens his hold.

"Did he…ever…?" Christian couldn't even finish his question and Ana shakes her head. "No, it never got that far, but with time, he got worse, and when I would try to resist him, he would start punching me. Ray has taught me some self-defense, but he was too big. Some days, he would get so drunk that he didn't even recognize his own name and no amount of pleading or crying would stop him. Part of me thinks he doesn't even know what he was doing when he took out his belt, but part of me thinks he knew exactly what he was doing. He would chase me around and try to whip me. One time, he told me he liked watching me cry, told me that I was his own personal punching bag, and that I deserved this because I was a whore that nobody could learn to love… I remember trying to run and hide. Our house was small and there weren't many hiding spots. The closet was the best one since he often was too drunk to open it, but it could only fit one person…The scars…" Ana's voice becomes overshadowed by tears. "The scars on my back were from…his belt." She admits as she begins breaks down in Christian's arms.

Christian gently gathers her small body into his embrace as he slowly moves them both under the covers, his hands never leaving her, and he hooks one of his legs around her and rests his chin on top of her head, allowing her to bury her face and cry into his chest.

"Shhh…Shhh…you're safe now. You're safe with me." Christian whispers, pressing two soft kisses to her tear-stained cheeks, one on each side.

Ana's vaguely aware of Christian's body wrapped around her as she, for the first time, drifts into a tranquil sleep, knowing that even though it was thundering outside, she was safe.

Looking out at Seattle's stormy night and all of the long shadows casted by the now-ghost-like buildings, Christian vowed to himself, _one day, he will safeguard, defend, and avenge her…_

 **A/N: What did you guys think? I hope I did ok, lol…**

 **Please leave a review if you have a second, they always make my day ^_^**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank You to all of the Amazing response I'm getting for this story. You guys are truly amazing, and I want you to know how much I appreciate all of your reviews and PMs. They always make me so happy. I'm so glad you guys seemed to like the last chapter (although sad) about Ana's past. Here's the next chapter, and hopefully, it's a happier one. Thank you for all the reviews (I tried to respond to most of them) and a thank you to all the Guest reviews as well.**

 **I'm so sorry for this short chapter, but AP testing is next week and I have Physics, Psychology, and a Calculus test I need to take so I haven't had a ton of time to write. I hope you guys enjoy it none the less ;)**

 **All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 10-Almost**

Ana drifts in and out of consciousness. _Why was it so hot in here?_ She tries rolling over, but something heavy is preventing her from moving.

Christian's draped around her, his one leg thrown and hooked over both of hers, and he's suffocating her with his body heat as he pulls her close against his chest. He has his nose nuzzled in her hair, and Ana can feel his hot breath against her neck.

A small smile spreads across her face, and she snuggles deeper in his embrace. She didn't mind the warm temperature, and truth be told, she never wanted to leave. Ana hated how clingy, how _needy_ she was around Christian. For fuck's sake, she couldn't even sleep alone last night. Granted, she was scared, but still, she should've been able to keep her fears in check, she should've been able to sleep by herself, but she couldn't, she needed Christian. She needed his protective arms; she needed his gentle hands; she needed his soothing voice to comfort and hush her. He was her one stability in this chaotic, cruel world.

Christian begins to stir behind her. "Good morning, sweetheart." He whispers in a husky, deep voice that was still laced with sleep.

Ana turns around and stretches her body so she's facing Christian, laying her head on his outstretched arm. Christian makes no indication to move and his gray eyes crinkle and sparkle in the morning sun as he smiles down at her, softly running his hands through the ends of her hair.

"Did you sleep well?" She asks, internally berating herself for bothering him so much. She shouldn't have asked him to stay. Christian didn't owe her anything, he shouldn't have to be the one to fix her.

Christian drew his eyebrows together as he thought about her question. _Amazingly, he slept perfectly fine. There were no nightmares, no screaming, and no cigarettes. He has slept peacefully through the night without even waking once._

He gives her a big fifty smile. "I slept great. How about you? I'm sorry if I was smothering you." Ana giggles at his response. "You weren't smothering me, I was just really hot."

Christian lovingly taps her nose before tugging her closer and plating a firm kiss on her temple. "What am I going to do with you and you're smart mouth?"

To any other outsider, they might have looked like a regular couple, waking up in the same bed and playfully battering with each other, but to Ana and Christian, it was so much more. Ana has told Christian her deepest secret and trusted him not to hurt her while Christian treasured that secret beyond his life. So, in a way, they were more than lovers even if they didn't have the love part figured out.

Looking at Ana, her messy brown hair matted over her face and her oceanic blue eyes gleaming up at him, Christian had the sudden urge to kiss her. He wanted to tell her that he will take care of her, that he will be gentle, that she need not be afraid, that he will be whatever she needs if she could only heal. Unknowingly, he brings his face closer to hers and he can feel the electricity crackle, pulling them closer.

Ana leans her forehead against Christian's and her breath hitches as a tingly sensation erupts in her stomach. _Was he going to kiss her? She kind of wanted him to. She wanted to feel his lips capture hers; she wanted him to run his tongue along the inside of her mouth; she wanted to tangle her hands in his soft, copper locks._

She can smell the woody scent of his cologne mixed with a hint of rum and her breathing becomes more shallow, and she unconsciously sucks on the sensitive skin by her bottom lip.

Christian weaves his hand around her back and he can hear his frantically beating heart. _Thump, thump, thump,_ along with Ana's shaky intake of air. She was biting her lip and her hair had the fresh smell of morning-due mixed with strawberries.

Ana didn't dare move. She didn't want to ruin the moment. She was surprised to find how much she wanted Christian to kiss her. She knew she didn't deserve him, and that it was impossible for Seattle's hottest bachelor to fall for a mousy girl like her, but that did nothing to curve her desire for him. She wanted to be his, she didn't even care if he was into BDSM, she just wanted him. She knew Christian would take care of her. Her eyelashes flutter close, and quiet anticipation grew in her abdomen as she waited for his lips to touch hers. Ana didn't know what she was feeling, all she knew was that it was wonderful, a mixture between dancing on the clouds happy and watching a butterfly ready to take flight.

Christian can almost taste Ana, her soft hair beneath his hands, her foot pressed between his knees, her cheek against his arm, all he needed to do was tilt his head. _Did he want to kiss her?_

 _Yes, he did._

Should he kiss her?

Christian's lips brush against Ana's and he immediately pulls away. _No, he shouldn't. What right did he have to take away her innocence? She didn't need someone fucked up like him; she didn't need him and all of his baggage. He was a BDSM dominant, and she was so innocent, so inexperienced. Christian simply couldn't, wouldn't, risk hurting her. Even if he gave up bdsm, he would still end up hurting her, he always ended up hurting people around him._

Ana keeps her eyes closed, wanting Christian's lips on hers, and she feels his warm breath tingle against her sensitive skin. She softly smiles to herself, but suddenly, the electricity stops, the residue of its pull still pulsing through the air, and Christian's lingering lips are no longer there.

The bed dips as he rolls off, and Ana is yanked from her dream as she blinks several time. A bubble of disappointment wells in her, and for a second, she feels like crying. _How could she be so stupid? Did she really think Christian was going to kiss her? What was a girl like her doing with a man like him? He was Christian Grey, Seattle's most eligible bachelor, CEO of Grey Enterprise holding, and she was, well…_

Christian sheepishly adjusts the waistband of his pants, his morning wood uncomfortably hard, before chancing a quick glance at Ana. Her eyes are downcast and she's refusing to meet his gaze. _Grey! You're such an idiot!_

"Um…I'll be downstairs…so…if you want to get ready or take a shower, I'll get out of your way…" Christian awkwardly stutters before hurrying out the door.

Ana sighs as she gets up, stripping off her clothes and heading to the shower. Soon, hot water gushes over her and her mind starts wondering. She always did her best thinking in the shower. _Of course Christian didn't what to kiss her. She needed to remember her place; she was suppose to be his submissive, and even though it was clear that Christian didn't view her as one, she still wasn't his lover, nor could she ever be. They were from two separate worlds._

In the opposite shower, on the opposite side of the room, Christian was showering as well. He tightly grips himself as his hand moves up and down. He was rock hard without even kissing her. Christian shoots his load down the drain as he pants against the shower wall, trying not to think about Ana. _Grey, you need to get your head out of your ass! She's 17, pervert! She does not need you fucking up her life any more than it already is. She needs someone gentle, someone sweet, someone who didn't have touch issues, someone who could give her all the love she deserved…_

Christian gets out of the shower, wrapping a tower around his waist as emotions, thick and heavy, continue to swirl around him. He tries suppressing them, focusing on brushing his teeth and combing his hair. He swishes water in his mouth and spits it out. _Fuck, he needed to talk with someone he hasn't talked to in two years…_

Taylor's sitting at the breakfast table, a file in his hand.

 _Steve Morton Age: 43 Career: Social worker_

His face is set in that usual grim line and his eyebrows are pulled together. Christian has given him this file just five minutes ago and ordered Taylor to find Morton, no matter the cost. Taylor wasn't stupid, he knew this had something to do with Ana, and he can only assume Morton to be her abuser. Taylor shudders at the thought, but he finds solace in the knowledge that once they catch Steve, Christian will make him pay for what he did. Taylor can only imagine what his boss has in mind.

Half an hour later, Christian comes down to breakfast, dressed in dark jeans and a grey sweater, and Ana provides him a small smile. Christian briefly smiles back, his gaze not meeting hers and his left dimple remains hidden. You can feel the awkward tug of the atmosphere between them, neither of them sure about their reaction after the kiss they almost shared. _Somehow, it felt as if they were a little more, but not quite the more they were hoping for._

For a while, Christian just stands there, debating what to do, and Ana stares down at her knotted fingers, neither of them brave enough to make the first move or say the first words. Finally, Christian walks over and pulls Ana into a hug. _She may not act like it, but she still needed his comfort, and although he couldn't be her lover, he can at least be her companion._

"Sweetheart, I have something I need to take care of at work, you be good for me, yeah?" He murmurs into her hair, and a hint of smile tugs on Ana's lips.

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

"Christian, it's been a long time, two years if I remembered correctly. How have you been?" Flynn asks, crossing his feet as he sat down and Christian scowls at him.

Christian didn't particularly enjoy Flynn's company, the man was a pompous ass, but at the same time, he didn't completely hate him. Flynn was the best in his field, and Christian liked his no-bullshit style.

"Flynn." He responds with a neutral tone.

This doesn't seem to bother Flynn, in fact, he seems pleased by it. "Ah, I see you haven't changed much. How's life?" Flynn asks, wearing his know-it-all smile.

Christian squints his eyes at him. _He hated therapy. Why was he even here?_

Finally, after letting the silence fester for several minutes and the tension grow, Christian answers. "I met a girl."

"Oh?" Flynn raises his eyebrows, jotting _Girl_ down in his notebook before leaning back and smiling his irritating smile. "Tell me about this girl."

 _(Two hours later)_

Flynn's smiling a ridiculous smile while listening to Christian talk. _The fool doesn't know that he's in love…_

"What should I do Flynn?" Christian eventually asks, tugging at the roots of his hair.

Flynn ponders this for a moment, tapping his pen against his notebook. "What do you mean? What do you want to do?"

Christian silently growls. "Why do you always answer my question with a question? Am I not paying you enough?"

An amused expression flashes across Flynn's face. "You are paying me very well." He assures Christian. "However, my goal is to help you discover yourself, not tell you who you are."

This does nothing to placate Christian, and he begins to pace. "I don't know what I'm suppose to fucking do! She's so fragile, and innocent, and she's been through a lot, and I don't want to damage her."

Flynn furrows his brow. "What makes you think you're going to damage her? From what I'm getting, you are very kind to her, except for what you did with the belt. Christian, you should know better than to terrorize someone who's been through abuse." Flynn lightly berates.

Christian stares out the window. "You don't get it. Ana's…she's special, and precious, so precious. I don't want to hurt her and I always end up hurting people around me. I need to protect her, but I don't know how, other than to find Steve and kill him. I don't know how to be what she needs."

"And what is it that she needs?"

 _Christian really hated Flynn's questions._

"She needs someone gentle, and kind, and sweet, and good, and who makes her happy."

"And you don't make her happy?"

Christian pinches the bridge of his nose. _Why does he bother with Flynn? Maybe psychiatry's bullshit after all._

"I don't make her happy, no, I mean, I think she likes being around me, but…this morning…" Christian trails off, rubbing his face with his hands.

"This morning…I almost kissed her, like our lips were touching, and I knew she wanted me to kiss her, and I know she trusts me, but I can't even though I want to. I can't…I can't ruin her. She means too much."

Flynn shakes his head. _When was Christian going to see the good in himself?_

"Christian, you are not going to ruin her."

Christian begins pacing again. "How can you say that? I will ruin her. Look at what happened to Leila. For God's sake, Ana was _sold_ to me. _Sold."_

Flynn takes a deep breath, calming himself. "First off, what happened to Leila isn't your fault. She had a major depressive disorder. You need to stop blaming yourself for her suicide attempt, and secondly, Ana may have been sold to you, but you have done nothing wrong by saving her from the hands of Elena. Can you imagine where she will be if it wasn't for you? Christian, you need to stop blaming everything on yourself. I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, you're not bad. I think you'd be surprised by how much good you possess."

 _Internally, Flynn knew a big part of Christian's problem had to deal with Elena and her manipulation. He knew it was hard for Christian to see the light when she has coated his world in darkness. She has enforced all of his self-doubts and self-harm through brutal punishment or sexual rewards. Her methods were based on the principals of classical conditioning, one of the strongest form of learning though rewards and punishments, except, in this case, it enforced the bad while it punished the good. Flynn knew he had to work on unraveling all of Elena's sick and twisted ideals from Christian's head, but that was a conversation for a later date…_

"Flynn, she's 17!" Christian attempts to use Ana's age to get Flynn to see how wrong this was, how wrong it was for Ana to be with him.

Flynn wants to roll his eyes but refrains himself. "Christian, the state laws in Washington state that the age of consent is 16. If Ana agrees, freely, to a relationship with you, then there's nothing wrong with it. Plus, you're only four years older, I don't think you realize how many couple have a age gap between them. Take for example, my wife and I are five years apart."

Christian sighs, sitting down and burying his head in his hands. "I don't know what I should or shouldn't do…or what's right vs wrong, can you just give me some advice?"

Flynn relents and takes pity on Christian. _He was trying. He really, really was._

"Look." He says, closing his notebook. "I can't tell you what you can or cannot do, but take it easy for a couple of days, see how Ana feels. I would encourage you to talk with her, be open. Tell her about your past, and the cigarette scars, and Elena. She did it for you, and you should grant her the same courtesy. Maybe take her somewhere where you guys can both relax and unwind a bit. A lot has happened, and it's good to have fun in a while."

Christian studies Flynn intently. _Was Flynn always this helpful?_

 **A/N: How did this chapter turn out? Yes? No? Maybe?**

 **Please leave a review if you have five seconds, they always make my day ;)**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: First off, THANK YOU to everyone who has followed/favorited/reviewed this story. Your support completely BLOWS me away and thank you for all of your love for me and this story, you guys have no idea what that means, and it honestly makes me so happy that you guys are all enjoying this story so much. I tried to respond to all of the reviews, if I missed you, my sincere apologies (and a big Thank You to all of the Guest reviews as well)**

 **Anyway, so I was made aware that FF emails alert is not working, and I updated this story on Wednesday, but it keeps on showing up as my last update was April 26th, and I know a bunch of people didn't receive email alerts. So I'm re-updating this story with this chapter. Fingers crossed it works this time.**

 **This is a longer-ish chapter since the last chapter was so short (sorry).**

 **All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 11-Falling in Love**

Ana's eyes flutter close as she breaths in the salty, fresh air of the sea. She has never been to the ocean before, and she scrunches up her feet, feeling the soft sand, still damp from the retreating shore. The forever stretching sea lays before her and gentle waves overlap each other, sending the white bubbling crest descending, making the shore fade into the transparent water.

Her skin is glowing with warmth from the mid-afternoon sun and she can't help but twirling around in her bikini as the ocean breeze brushes through her long, brown hair, making her giggle and laugh.

This was Barcelona, one of the most historical and romantic cities, known for its beautiful beaches and seventy degrees weather. Truth be told, Ana didn't know why she was here. Christian came back the other day from work and immediately ordered her to pack her bags. He said they were going somewhere special, and now, she was here, along the Mediterranean sea, in one of the most extravagant resorts.

Ana squints her eyes at the sun and wiggles her toes, too happy to worry about anything, as she laughs and runs along the shoreline, splashing water as she goes.

Behind her, Christian lounges on a sun chair, catching up on some much needed R&R. He's only wearing his blue swim trunks and when he looks down, he can see the six cigarette scars marring his chest. Christian has thought long and hard about Flynn's advice, and he has decided to take Ana here. It was quiet and peaceful, away from the noise and hassle of the city, and the sun shone brightly while the birds chirped. Here will be the perfect place to break his past to Ana.

Christian watches Ana splash and play along the shore. She was wearing a bright yellow bikini and her long brunette hair fell in cascade waves down her back. The bikini was modest compared to other bikini's out there, but Christian was still glad he rented a private resort where there weren't any googling eyes. Just the mere thought of someone staring at Ana made his blood boil.

She turns her head, the strong, ocean wind blowing her tangled hair all over the place, and she gives him a wide smile. Her smile was beautiful. It was the kind of smile that made his heart race and left him wanting more. The sun sparkled in her eyes as they dance with mirth and her smile was so big that her face could barely contain it.

Christian gently smiles back while making a "come here" motion with his hand, and within a second, Ana was before him, still giggling from the joy of the shore.

The beach was nothing special to Christian; In his lifetime, he has seen thousands of beaches, from Jamaica to the Bahamas, but not even one of them stood a chance against Ana's smile.

"Sweetheart, you're still too skinny." Christian observes, slightly frowning when he sees that he can trace Ana's ribcage through her skin. She has gained a decent amount of weight over the past week, but her sever malnourishment was still evident.

Ana blushes and gives a little shrug. She knows she was too skinny, but there really wasn't much she can do. It's not like she was anorexic or bulimic, her body simply couldn't adjust to the normal amount of food.

Christian senses this and decides to let the topic slide. He'll have to talk to Gail about creating a better diet, but for now, there was something more important to discuss.

"I have something I want to tell you." Christian says, the carefree atmosphere of the beach suddenly taking on a more serious tone as he sits up and Ana knits her eyebrows together, sitting down on the adjacent chair.

Christian pushes the lump past his throat and Ana can tell this is something difficult for him. She scoots closer and her fingers find his hand as she gives it a little squeeze.

The small gesture was all the assurance Christian needed.

He closes his eyes, his one hand still gripping Ana's, and he lightly traces over the scars on his chest. He shudders and screws his eyes shut.

"These are scars from my childhood." Christian whispers, his voice small and scared, so unlike his usual, confident CEO, don't-mess-with-me tone.

Ana studies the scars. They were brown, little marks, each one in the perfect shape of a circle. They were painfully obvious against his tone, sculpted chest. She squeezes his hand tighter.

"I was adopted, as I'm sure you suspect, and my birthmother, well, she was a drug addict, crack specifically, and she had this pimp who use to beat and burn me when she passed out. He would use me as his ash tray…" Christian whispers, his eyes closed as if in pain.

Unwelcomed tears spring to Ana's eyes as she pictures a small, copper hair boy, all dirty and hungry, huddled up in the corner, cigarette scars scattered over him, and she moves closer to him. She wanted Christian to know that it was ok. It was ok to be scared and afraid. It was ok to feel hurt and betrayed. It was ok to want to cry.

Christian feels Ana's soft arms wrap around him, being careful to avoid touching his scars, and her tears drip down his back.

"Don't cry, sweetheart." Christian says, opening his eyes, as he gently thumbs away her tears, but the sweet gesture does nothing to soothe Ana.

"How…can…I not…Christian…that's horrible." She gets out between hiccups and Christian rubs her arms.

"It's in the past, ok? It's over and done with. I got adopted by a beautiful family and had a better life. I hardly think about it anymore, I only wanted to tell you because you told me something so hard, and I wanted to do the same, but it's over with. I'm ok now."

Ana sniffles, red rims lining her eyes, as big crocodile tears continue to roll down her cheeks. "Thank you…for telling me." Christian pulls her closer and plants a kiss on her forehead.

Surprisingly, Christian didn't feel the usual pain or burning when Ana touched him. Of course, she has never touched on bare skin, and Christian could usually tolerate being touched over a shirt, but as he pulls her on top of him, and she nestles her head in the crook of his neck, there was no screaming, no crying, and no burning. The only thing left was peace and her soft skin caressing his.

"Sweetheart, if you don't stop crying, I'm going to cry too." Christian lightly jokes, hoping to cheer her up, but she doesn't listen to him, instead, she buries her head further into his shoulders and sobs harder.

Ana can feel his pain, and sorrow, and fear. She feels it because she experienced the same thing. She thinks of Paul, and how lucky he was compared to Christian. Paul, at the very least, had her. She protected and cared for him while Christian was left defenseless.

Ana wished she could protect Christian. She would've done anything, she would've taken the beating and cigarette burns. She would've comforted and hushed him. She would've fed and cared for him. She simply couldn't stand the thought of Christian in pain. Ana also thinks of Elena, what part she had to play in his frightful past, and she shivers, hugging him tighter.

Christian gently pulls Ana away and he's met with sad, tears-filled eyes. Her face is all blotchy and red, and she smears a trace of snot away with her hand. Christian softly smiles, thumbing away her tears.

"Sweetheart, I'm ok. Come on, don't cry. We're in Barcelona. This is suppose to be fun, look how beautiful this place is."

Before Ana can say anything, Christian scoops her up and twirls her around, momentarily startling her, and for a second, she forgets about her tears as she lets out a little squeal.

Christian sets her down, pointing to the big rock in the distance. "Want to go cliff jumping?" He asks, and Ana's eyes widen.

"you mean…like…jump off…" She doesn't get to finish her sentence when Christian nods and all of the sudden, he grabs her hand and starts running.

Christian has very long legs and Ana struggles to keep up, the hot sand pricking her feet until they finally come upon the big rock. The rock was black, probably formed from lava of a previous volcano and was 7 meters off the ground. Below them, clear blue water gurgles and bubbles.

"Chrisitannn…" Ana whines, peering skeptically over the cliff. "I can't swim that well…" She starts making excuses.

In the sun, Christian looks years younger, he's all smiles and there's a twinkle in his eyes. "It's not as bad as it seems. I promise. I'll go first. I won't let you drown." He says and, with that, charges at the cliff, doing a full summersault before arrowing into the water.

At first, all that exits is a huge splash of water and white sparks flying everywhere, but a few seconds later, Christian resurfaces, laughing and splashing before waving towards her. He's no longer the CEO, he's carefree and happy and Ana finds herself wanting to join him.

"Come on! It's fun!" Christian shouts at her, and he does another flip in the water, urging her to take that leap of faith.

Ana glances at the cliff, and then at Christian. _It really was quite high…_

"Don't think about it, just jump!" Christian shouts again, cheering her on, and Ana decides, _fuck it, what's the worse that could happen?_

She closes her eyes and runs towards the cliff, jumping at the last second, her feet and arms are flailing around as she screams from the thrill of the fall. The slap of the water stings fleetingly against her feet, and then the salty, sea water is shooting up her nose. The water is cold except for the warm pocket of air that the ocean made for her, and for a moment, Ana feels like she's on a another planet or no where at all. She bursts through the water, and she's giggling and laughing as Christian paddles towards her, a ridiculous grin on his face.

"See, not so bad, huh?" He asks, engulfing her in his arms as Ana throws her hair back, sending thousands of water droplets shooting though the air. "Why didn't you make me do that sooner!" She mock accuses, doing one of her own summersaults in the water, and Christian chuckles, his deep voice reverberating through the waves.

The water was cold and salty and delicious as Christian tugs Ana closer. Instinctually, Ana wraps her legs around him, clinging on as Christian continues to paddle the water, staying afloat. His grey eyes are bright and youthful, and he has his All-American-boy grin on with water dribbling from his hair, and Ana giggles, nuzzling her nose against his.

"You know, I think you're pretty much perfect." She whispers. Ana wanted Christian to know how much he meant to her, and although she wasn't anybody worthy, she loved him, and she would do anything to see his smile.

The warm, sea water continues to swirl around them as Christian tugs Ana closer so she's pressed against him, and his hand caresses her cheek as her breathing becomes more shallow.

Ana's lips reminded Christian of a rose bud. The top lip was thin, but not too thin, and she had a natural cupid bow; her bottom lip, however, was larger and more plush. They were a pale pink in the sun and her blue eyes shown clearer than the Mediterranean Sea. Christian reaches out and lightly touches them as Ana shudders, and in that moment, he decides to fuck it. Fuck his precious self-control and doubts, like cliff jumping, all you needed was a little courage.

Ana feels Christian's lips touch hers. They were soft and warm and she could taste the salty residue of the ocean water. The kiss was sweet and gentle, comforting in a way words could never be, and Ana smiles against his lips, running her fingers down his spine and pulling him closer until there wasn't any space left between them.

The kiss lit Christian's brain on fire as warmth spread through his body. He wanted to consume her, he wanted to make her his, and unknowingly, his hand drifts to her hip as he hooks her legs around him, feeling her body melt into his, as their breath mingle.

Ana wanted to remain like that forever, tangled in Christian's strong embrace as his warm mouth explored hers, but they were beginning to sink, and she needed oxygen. Reluctantly, she pulls away and Christian's softly panting. He's looking at her as if she were a small miracle, and Ana giggles.

"Wow." She whispers as Christian hoists her into his arms, his eyes full of wonder and admiration.

"Wow is right."

Ana could stay there all day, surrounded by the murmurs of the sea as the sun sparkling above the soft ripples of waves, but Christian eventually tugs her back onto shore. He didn't want her to get burnt by the midday sun.

They start to dry off under a shady tree, and Ana can feel Christian's eyes on her when he thinks she isn't noticing, but the admiration is mutual. She can't help but ogling him too, the movement in his lean, smooth muscles.

A shiver travels across Ana's body when she thinks about tonight. _Were they going to have sex? How should she navigate this?_

Even though Ana still had doubts in her head, she knew she was ready. She knew she was ready for this. She wanted Christian. She wanted him inside of her. She knew Christian would take care of her.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful voice. "Mr. Grey? Is that you?"

Ana turns her head to see a beautiful brunette. Her long, wavy hair fell about mid-hip and she's wearing a black bikini. She had the perfect, hour glass figure with c-cup boobs and a bubble butt. Her eyes were a stunning shade of green and she's wearing a bright smile.

Christian startles up at her, and although he tries to hide it, Ana can see the shock in his eyes. "Jessica?" He asks. "What are you doing here?" His voice contains a hint of annoyance.

Jessica smiles at both Ana and Christian, completely unbothered by Christian's cold demeanor. "Oh, my boyfriend rented a beach house next door and we're here on vacation. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come over here without permission since this is private property. But I thought you looked familiar, and I had to come say hi. How are you?"

Christian softens. Jessica was one of his first subs, and they parted on good terms. She was always very good and obedient, and hardly caused any trouble. Christian didn't have feelings for her, but that didn't mean he wished ill will towards her. The girl deserved to be happy.

"I'm good, this is my new girlfriend, Anastasia." Christian says, placing a protective arm around Ana who was staring down at her feet. _Jessica was perfect…perfect body, perfect eyes, perfect smile. Why didn't Christian choose her instead? Ana was nothing compared to Jessica._

Ana forces herself to give Jessica a fake, tiny smile. "Hi." She says.

Jessica claps her hands together, and her green eyes glimmer. "Oh Christian, she's so cute. I'm so happy for you. Is she…?" Jessica trails off, unsure how to finish.

Christian frowns at this and he presses a kiss to Ana's hair. "No, she's not my submissive. She's my girlfriend." He restates this and Jessica squeals.

"That's wonderful, I'm so glad you found someone, you deserve to be happy, you really do."

Christian smiles a small smile in gratitude. "Thank you, you too, Jessica."

Jessica beams at him one last time. "Well, I got to go, Mark will be wondering where I am." And with that, she skips away, her long, brown curls bouncing behind her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian leads Ana back to the three-story resort, and he immediately notices that something's off. Her head is bowed and she's refusing to talk to him.

"Sweetheart? What's wrong?" Christian asks, stopping mid step and gently tilting her head so she's forced to look at him.

Ana quickly darts her gaze away. "Nothing."

Christian draws his brows together as he studies her. _He may not know a lot about relationships, but he wasn't stupid._

"Does this have to do with Jessica?" he asks, crouching down before Ana, and tugging her towards him.

Ana hated how easily her feelings were hurt. She was not the jealous type, well, at least, she didn't think she was, but she couldn't help the little bubble of hurt that welled inside of her when she thought about Christian and Jessica. She could never be like Jessica.

"No." She stubbornly insists, and Christian twists his mouth into a frown.

"You were fine before Jessica came." He observes, and Ana pouts, her bottom lip poking out. "Ok, maybe it had something to do with Jessica." She admits after a while, with some reluctance.

Christian smiles. _She was jealous, and it was freaking adorable._ And before Ana could react, Christian crushes her to his chest, hugging her tight, as he brings his lips over hers, reassuring her that she was his, and he was hers.

Inside, Ana felt stupid for letting Jessica bother her, she was his _Ex_ -submissive,and she had a new boyfriend who wasn't Christian. Christian was hers. _Hers._

A surge of possessives overwhelms Ana as she deepens this kiss, needing Christian close to her. The kiss was long and deep and hard and it was what Ana needed, sending tingles all over her body.

The sun was beginning to set, making the lines of heaven and earth touch as firey red rays spill across the glittering water. Neither Ana nor Christian noticed the time as they kissed, her hand in his hair, and his hand on her back, and finally, when the only thing left in the sky were a few bright streaks, they pull apart and stare deep into each other's eyes. Christian's full of wonder and love, and Ana's full of curiosity and passion.

Christian softly smiles as he plants another lingering kiss on her lips. "Fuck, I need to go to the store." He murmurs, and Ana's eyes widen. _Did he mean…?_

"I have condoms." She blurts out, and Christian almost stumbles back in shock. "You what?" He asks, his eyes awe and astonished, as Ana furiously blushes.

"Um...I packed them just in case…and I also have lube." She whispers, her entire face bright red, and Christian disbelievingly shakes his head. And _this whole time, he was worried that she didn't want him…_

"Where did you get them?" Christian asks, incredulous. _He definitely didn't need to go to the store anymore…_

Ana shrugs. "I asked Gail." She shyly responds, and Christian's grin widens.

"Oh, Anastasia Steele, what am I going to do with you?" He murmurs as he hoists her into his arms, causing her to laugh and giggle as he begins to walk them back towards their condo.

Ana can feel her frantically beating heart as Christian kicks open the door and moves them inside. He bends down, gently laying her on the bed, and the mattress dips because of her weight.

"You sure about this?" he asks, and Ana nods, her body already squirming for release, and Christian smiles.

"Ok, sweetheart, just know you can stop me at any time alright? No matter the reason, I'm going to try to be as gentle as I can, but I'm nervous that I will go too hard or hurt you or not notice something or…" Christian rambles, all of his fears surfacing, but he's silenced by a soft pair of lips kissing him.

"Christian," Ana whispers as she breaks away, "You aren't going to hurt me, I promise. I trust you, ok?"

Christian swallows, pushing his emotions down. "Ok." He whispers back, and Ana smiles. Inside, she was nervous as well, and she's pretty sure her heart skipped several beats.

Twilight fell over the room, and Ana can see Christian's dark silhouette looming over her, as his hands move behind her, caressing each crevasse, before finally stilling above the clasp of her bikini top.

"I think we should get rid of this, don't you?" his voice, once again, takes on that husky, deep tone, and Ana feels desire, thick and heavy, pool between her thighs.

Christian slides the bra-like material off, revealing her perky breast, and he grins before dipping his head and swirling his tongue around her nipple.

"Christian…" Ana whines as his teeth explores her body, biting and scraping, pinching and taunting, as a heady intoxication overwhelms her senses.

"Shhh…just feel…" Christian whispers as he continues his sweet, sweet torture, nibbling his way down. He can tell Ana was getting close, and her virgin body wouldn't know how to control its orgasm.

In one swift move, Christian chucks his boxers, and his penis stands, tall and erect, as Ana's eyes widen. _Surely, he wouldn't fit…_

Christian seems to sense this. "Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll stretch you out first." He promises as he crawls on top of her, and his fingers move lower and lower until they reach the bottom of her bathing suite.

"Hmmm, do you know how hard it was for me to be watching you flaunt your cute, little ass in these all day?" Christian teases, making a show of tugging them off and smirking when he finds Ana practically dripping. She was so responsive.

He grabs the condom and, ripping the packet open with his teeth, rolls it on. He also squirts a handful of lube on his hand. He was pretty sure Ana didn't need lube, but he wanted to be safe, just in case.

He rubs the liquid substance between his palms, warming it up, before applying it to Ana's outer and inner labia, then slipping two fingers in.

 _Fuck, she was tight._

Ana gasps as she lets out a little moan, and Christian smirks, moving his fingers up and down, making sure to rub her g-spot.

"You like that baby?" Ana moans as her feet curl, and her fingers grip the edge of the sheets.

"I'm going to enter now, alright?" Christian asks, and Ana feels his warm, slick cock at her entrance, as she nods. She was yearning, craving for some sort of release, her body wound tight and a firey knot seems to be building in her stomach.

Christian hovers over her, his lips capturing hers as he presses one, long finger to her clit. He gently rubs her little jewel as he moves the head of his cock in.

Ana stiffens at the intrusion, her body tensing from the brief flash of pain, but soon, she feels Christian's hand caressing her, massaging her, relaxing her muscles as the pain fades away.

"You ok?" He asks, sweat marring his brow, and Ana beams up at him.

"I'm more than ok." She whispers as Christian smiles, leaning down as he trails a string of kisses from her ear all the way down to her collarbone.

"You're doing great." He whispers, his soothing voice and musky scent making Ana all that more needy. Gently, slowly, he moves all the way inside of her.

"Still ok?" he whispers, and Ana waits a couple of seconds before she could answer honestly as Christian peppers her face with a thousand, tiny kisses.

Finally, when she's ready, Christian begins to move, his hips rolling forward, and Ana meets him thrust for thrust. "Christian…I…think…I'm going…" Ana stutters, her body trembling as Christian drives into her.

"It's ok; let it go, come for me." And with one final thrust, Ana comes with a scream and Christian soon follows, panting as he stills inside of her.

Ana's too tired to move, to speak, and vaguely, she feels Christian lowering her into a bathtub filled with warm, fragrant water. _Hmm, lavender…_

He gets in behind her and gently massages her scalp while murmuring soft praises into her hair. Ana hums in content as she leans back against him.

"So this is what all the fuss's about, huh?" she asks, a soft smile playing by her lips and Christian stifles his laugh.

"I would say that was more than fuss." He whispers, kissing the tip of her nose as Ana slowly drifts into a blissful sleep.

 **A/n-Ah! Finally! What do you guys think?**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/n: Ok, so, before I begin. I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed. Your encouragement and support truly does blow me away and you guys are the reason why I enjoy writing so much.**

 **All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 12-New Beginnings**

Christian moves a strand of hair away from Ana's face as she hums something incoherent. "Good morning, sweetheart." He whispers in her hair, his voice sultry and low, as a shiver travels down Ana's spine and her feet curl.

Clear, ocean-blue eyes blink up at him as she gives him one of her own, lazy smile, the corner of her mouth casually tugging upwards as she rolls over, her hair still wet from last night's bath. "Good morning, handsome." She whispers back.

Ana's smile widens when she thinks about last night, how gentle and attentive Christian was, how cherished he made her feel.

She peeks under the sheets and discovers that she was naked as a rosy pink taints her cheek.

Christian, on the other hand, had no problem getting out of bed, butt naked, as he gathers various things around the room. Ana can't help but eyeing his dick. _Did that thing really fit inside of her?_

Christian knows that Ana is shy about the whole sex thing, he can tell by the way she gathers the covers around her, trying to hide her exposed breasts, and a small smile crosses his lips as he saunters over, planting a chaste kiss on her lip.

"Why are you hiding from me?" He questions as Ana blushes again.

"I guess I'm not very comfortable with my body." She quietly admits, looking down, and Christian frowns, sitting down on the bed and tucking his one foot under his leg as he intertwines their fingers.

"Why aren't you comfortable? Was it something I did?" He asks, concern marring his brow, and Ana startles up.

"No, no, of course not, how could you think that?" She rushes, but then looks down again. "it's just…I mean, you're perfect, and I'm well…"

Before she can even finish her sentence, Christian has her pinned against the bed, grabbing both her wrists and straddling her.

Ana realizes that she should be afraid, that she was immobilized by a man approximately two times her size, but there wasn't any fear coursing though her. Instead, she blinks confusedly at Christian.

"Don't. You. Ever. Doubt. That. You. Are. Beautiful." Christian growls in her ears, still gripping her wrists as he nibbles her earlobe, his mouth trailing downwards.

"Christian." Ana gasps, arching her back, trying to focus back on her argument. "You're very, very sweet and kind, but I'm merely calling it how it is, I mean, look at you, and Jessica…and me." She whispers the last part in a quiet confession, and Christian yanks her up so she's sitting on his lap.

"Ana." His voice is stricter, sterner. "Last night, I promised myself I will _never_ punish you, but if you keep talking down on yourself, I won't have any options left." He says, landing a mild slap to the side of her butt in a warning.

Ana glances down, wringing her hands in her lap. "It's just…I'm so use to be putting down…" She whispers, and Christian softens.

"Sweetheart." He says, loosening his grip and cupping her cheek. "You are beautiful to me, alright? And I know you don't believe me, but any man would _kill_ to have you."

Ana blushes as Christian presses a tender kiss to her lips.

"Are you sore?" He asks, a sly smirk spreading across his face as Ana's face turns crimson.

"Yeah, a little." She says, tentatively shifting on his lap so she was sitting more comfortably and Christian smiles.

"Good, I like you sore, reminds you where I've been." He says, tracing soothing circles on her thighs.

XXXXXXXXXX

(3 days later)

Christian notices that his playroom door is ajar and he frowns. _He left it lock, didn't he?_

It was funny, really, ever since he's been with Ana. He hasn't missed this room. In fact, he hasn't even thought about it. The only thing he has done is remove all of the belts, canes, and riding crops. He wasn't sure where his relationship with Ana stood in respect to BDSM, but all he knew was that he never wanted to hurt her, punish her, or do anything that could make her cry. So, two days ago, when they came back from Barcelona, he removed all of the harsher implements as well as the riding crops. And even though riding crops aren't particularly painful, Christian didn't want to risk Ana having another panic attack. Riding crops were made of leather, and anything leather might remind Ana of a belt and the abuse she has suffered.

Carefully, Christian peeks his head in.

What he sees almost makes him choke.

There is his Ana, standing in front of the cabinet where he stores all of the sex toys, and in her hand is a clover clamp. Her head is cocked to the side as she pinches the clamp open, trying to figure out what it was for, and before Christian could stop her, she attaches it to her pinky.

"Owwww." She yelps as Christian jumps, immediately rushing to her side.

"Jesus Ana, what are you doing?! This is a very painful, nipple clamp." He exclaims as he squeezes the clamp open and Ana sucks on her pinky, staring at him with wide, blue eyes.

Christian puts the clamp away in its original place as he continues to explain. "It's called a clover clamp, and it's designed by the Japanese. It's very painful since the clamp clenches almost all the way, and you need to loosen it. It is not for beginners, and is typically used on more advanced submissives. I was going to get rid of it, but I haven't had a chance yet." He says, taking Ana's pinky in his hand and blowing on it. Her finger was already quite red from the small pinch.

Ana was speechless. She didn't know there was so much knowledge and background to a weird looking clamp. She looks at Christian who's slightly smirking at her.

"What are you doing here, anyways?" He asks.

Ana shrugs.

"I guess I was curious." She answers, and Christian slants an eyebrow at her.

"Curios?"

Ana blushes as she stares down at her feet. "Yeah…um…I did some research online…and found some things…and…um…I guess I just wanted to…see for myself…" She stutters as Christian smiles, tilting her head up.

"Ana, sweetheart, it's ok to be curious. I would say that it's a good thing to be curious, but next time, if you want to see something, anything, please come to me. I don't want you hurting yourself, alright? Some of these things are dangerous and you need to know all of the safety precautions."

Ana giggles at Christian. She can't help it. He was so cute and handsome and the concerned look he has on his face just added to his general adorableness.

"Ok, I'll ask you next time." She easily agrees, and Christian relaxes.

"Good, and since we're on the topic, I actually want to discuss BDSM with you. We haven't addressed it since we started our relationship."

Ana flushes. She can't even imagine what they were going to discuss.

Christian leads her over to the red bed and pulls her onto his lap, leaning against the headboard as Ana giggles. For some reason, she found this comical. _She was in a professional playroom with her boyfriend who caught her examining a nipple clamp. Who would've thought life turned out this way?_

"Ok, before I begin, I want to hear your thoughts on BDSM and this lifestyle." Christian's words distracts her as Ana quickly composes herself, thinking carefully about Christian's question.

BDSM didn't bother her, and she would never ask Christian to give up that part of his identity. Ana knew that Christian would never purposefully harm her, and the other day, she saw him remove all of the belts and scary looking implements. That alone proved how much Christian cared about her. Plus, she was a little curious about somethings as well.

"Um…" Ana begins. "I mean…I don't want to be a full time submissive…or, at least, I don't want to be punished just because I didn't follow some arbitrary rule." She says and pauses before continuing. "But…I…um…wouldn't mind playing…or scening…I did some research and I think it could be fun." She shrugs nonchalantly, feigning indifference.

Christian raises his eyebrows. "Fun?" He asks, incredulous. He has never thought of BDSM as fun. BDSM for him was always super serious and strict and unforgiving. It was a means to an end. Sure, it was pleasurable, but fun was the last word he would use to describe BDSM.

"Yeah, fun. Is there something wrong with that?" Ana asks as Christian twists his mouth into a wry, little smile.

Christian shakes his head. "Oh Anastasia, you're going to be the death of me." He says, smiling. "And as for my view on BDSM, it's a little different from yours. You see, BDSM for me is, in a way, a type of control. Because of my early life, I always felt like I didn't have control over any situation and BDSM offered me a way to channel my needs in a nondestructive way."

Ana squeezes his hand. She knew how hard it was for Christian to talk about his past. "Christian, you know I'm always here right? I'm not asking you to give up your lifestyle; I'm more than willing to try."

Christian smiles as he takes Ana's hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles. "Oh Ana, that wasn't what I was saying. I would never force you to do anything you're not comfortable with, some of this stuff is harsh, and I don't want to hurt you. Plus, having you here, in my arms, is more than enough. I don't even need regular vanilla."

Ana giggles. "But I like vanilla." She pouts as Christian's grin widens. After the first time, they started having sex more and more, and each time was better than the last. Ana was beginning to become more comfortable with her body, and Christian was no longer scared of her touching him. He has crossed that barrier of fear.

Christian gently traces the outline of her lips. "How about this? We stick with Vanilla, and if you want, we can start to slowly, and I mean _slowly,_ introduce you to some of this stuff."

Ana beams. "Can you show me around? I want to see how some things works."

Christian lets out an amused chuckle. "Anastasia Steele, you're a trip, you know that?" he asks, and Ana suppresses a giggle. She trusted Christian. Heart and Soul.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana and Christian have been in his playroom for over an hour, and Christian has started to show Ana some of the toys in his cabinet.

As he explained how all of the clamps and plugs and wax and other items work, it occurred to him just how young and inexperienced Ana was.

He has already had 7 years of experience behind him, but everything was new to Ana, and she reminded Christian of a child, running headfirst into matters without thinking them through. Another thing that worried Christian is how much she trusted him. The whole time, she didn't show any sign of fear or discomfort. She just listened intently to Christian as he described each and every one of the objects and what they were used for. She was so young and naïve. Christian didn't want to hurt her. He knew she trusted him, but he didn't trust himself.

 _What if he messed up? What if he wasn't enough for her? What if they wouldn't work?_

Ana unravels a piece of red rope and looks questionably at Christian. It was quite long, about 10 meters in length.

"Bondage." Christian explains, taking and folding the rope in half as he continues. "Ropes usually vary in length for the different knots. This one is used for something called the dragonfly sleeve."

"What is that?" Ana asks, tilting her head to the side as Christian laughs. He has never needed to explain so much, but he didn't mind, like Ana said, it was kind of fun showing Ana the various ropes (pun intended).

"Dragonfly sleeve is when you tie a person's arms together behind their back and make various knots down the length of the rope. The rope creates horizontal lines down the person's arms with a straight, vertical line in the center." Christian explains as he hands the rope to her, and she examines it between her fingers.

"Can you show me?" Ana asks.

"Ana, I can hardly do this on myself." Christian says, a deep chuckle reverberating through his lungs.

Ana gives him a big, goofy smile. "Duh, not on you, on me." She says, rolling her eyes as Christian's erection hardens.

 _Fuck, What was this girl doing to him?_

"Are you sure?" He asks, raising his one eyebrow.

"Yes." She whispers, and Christian smiles, stepping closer to her as his grey eyes turn into smoky embers.

"Take off your shirt." He commands as Ana lifts up her arms and Christian pulls her top off.

"Arms together, behind your back." He says, and Ana immediately obeys as Christian smiles, taking the rope and making two loops in the middle.

Ana watches in fascination as Christian threads the one loop through the other and makes a simple bow. He pulls on the two loops of the bow until they become large enough to fit around her shoulders.

He smirks as he walks behind her, and Ana feels him slip her one arm in one of the loops and the other arm in the other before he moves the rope all the way between her shoulder blades. He pulls on the middle of the rope and tightens the knot.

"Too tight?" He asks, and Ana shakes her head, feeling her breath tremble with excitement.

Christian continues down her arms, pausing every few inches to make two more loops and re-slip them over her arms and tugging on the middle of the rope to make sure each knot was in place. When he's finally done, he wraps the remaining string around each other and make a simple knot. Ana can't see what's happening, but she feels Christian's deft finger move behind her, tightening and re-adjusting the rope, occasionally stopping to ask her if she was alright. He was completely focus, his grey eyes calculating and observant, making sure none of her skin had any discoloration that could suggest restricted blood flow.

"There, all done." He finally announces, stepping back and admiring his handy work.

Ana tries moving her arms, but they are tightly bound, and she almost falls over when she moves, but Christian, seemingly expecting this, catches her.

He grins down at her. "Sweetheart, you're not use to having your arms tied up, that's why you almost lost your balance." He tells her as Ana giggles.

When she looks up into her favorite pair of grey eyes, she realizes that there was no fear, no nerves, no intimidation, and in that second, she knew, Christian and her were both going to make it.

She giggles at him once again, and Christian laughs, making his left dimple appear. He has never experienced this side of BDSM. The fun, loving side. Yes, Ana was partially tied up, but she was happy, and her clear, blue eyes held nothing but mischief. She wasn't worried about being punished or whipped. She was just herself, beautiful as always, with her hair falling in messy waves around her face and her big, goofy smile.

Christian thinks back to all of his submissive and when he was a submissive himself. Where were the smiles? The giggles? The laughter? The simple joy of being with another human being?

Everything was always so serious, so unrelenting and painful. BDSM wasn't viewed as fun or exploring one's sexuality. BDSM was the disciplinarian, the sadistic Dom, the crack of a whip…

Looking at Ana, giggling and carefree, made Christian realize that it didn't have to be that way, that BDSM could be fun and carefree and loving…

"How do I look?" Ana's voice interrupts him as he scans her over, a grin spreading across his face.

"Hmm…" He hums, tracing his fingers over his lips. "You look like a tiger." He says, turning her over so her back was facing him.

"A tiger with red stripes. A very cute and sexy tiger…"

XXXXXXXXXX

Jessica steps into Esclava with Mark following behind her, and she gives a friendly smile to Franco.

"Bonjour madam." Franco greets in his usual, cheerful manner.

"Bonjour Franco." Jessica says as she sits down and Franco comes around to comb her hair.

"So, what are we thinking? Short or long?" Franco asks as Jessica chuckles and looks at Mark who shrugs.

"I think we're going short this time. I want a change." Jessica finally answers and Franco claps.

"Ah! Short, I see, very good, my darling, very good." Franco declares as he has Jessica lean back and starts washing her hair.

After an hour, Franco has finished cutting her hair, and just when Jessica was about to leave, she hears a shrill shriek.

"Jessica! My dear! What have you done to your hair?!"

Under his breath, Franco mutters. "And here comes the wicked witch of the west."

Jessica turns to face Elena and she can't help but scowl. Jessica never liked Elena. She was a nasty, old hag and was always trying to harass Christian.

Jessica appreciated Elena for introducing her to Christian, but now that they have parted ways and she has found her true love, Jessica would've been perfectly content with never having to see Elena's Botox-injected face again. The only reason she came back to Esclava was because she liked Franco.

"Elena." She says, emotionless, as she steps around and grabs Mark's arm. "I am well. This is my new boyfriend, and before you begin, no, he's not a Dom so you can stop your thoughts right there."

Elena squints her eyes at Jessica. _When did she become so bold? She use to be shy and quiet..._

Regardless, Elena plasters on a fake smile as she politely shakes Mark's hand. "Jessica, I must say you changed quite a bit." She says, shaking her head in mock disapproval. "Shame, really, you would've made such a nice match with Christian."

Jessica stiffens at the mention of Christian's name. This was one of the main reasons she hated Elena. Christian has never told her what happened to him, but Jessica was a smart girl, and through observation, she figured out what happened. For a while, Jessica loved Christian. It wasn't a permanent love, no, but she cared about him. Christian was always a good Dom, respecting all of her safe words and hard limits, and the thought of what happened to him as a young boy made Jessica's heart hurt.

She knew she shouldn't. She knew she should keep her mouth shut, but she couldn't help it. She wanted that bitch Elena to know that Christian was perfectly happy without her.

"Christian's doing very well, thanks for your concern." She spits.

This immediately catches Elena's attention. "Did you recently see Christian?" she asks, raising a questioning, sleek eyebrow.

Jessica purses her lips, giving Elena a cold, hard stare. "In a matter of fact, I did, I saw him in Barcelona, and he was with his new girlfriend, Ana. Anyway, I know you wouldn't understand a relationship, but for your information, Ana is absolutely gorgeous and Christian looks very happy with her. I hope she's finally able to show him what a vicious bitch you are and kicks you to the curb. You don't deserve Christian."

And with that, Jessica struts out the door, leaving Elena speechless.

 _No, this would not do. She can't have Christian falling for Ana…_

 **A/n-What do you guys think? Ana and Christian's relationship? Jessica?**

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm also doing the Forbidden Love Contest on Facebook and once all of those stories are posted, I will post mine up here as well.**

 **Ok, so Fanfiction is being a bitch, and as far as I know, you can't receive email updates, but I will update every week (Unless informed otherwise). Be sure to check your updates so you don't miss any chapters of this story and all of the other brilliant stories on this website.**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren ^_^**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/n-Thank you for all the reviews! You guys continue to blow me away everyday and I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it ;)**

 **All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 13-Our Pasts Cannot be Changed, Forgotten, or Erased**

Small, dim lanterns illuminate the walkway as Christian grins at Ana, interlacing their fingers, as they gaze out at the glimmering water.

They were at the annual gala that his parents hosted, and in the distance, Ana can hear the loud, blaring music and chatter. People continue to pour in and out of the ballroom and there are a few couples taking a walk along the shore, talking amicably.

At first, Ana was very reluctant to come. She wanted to keep their relationship a secret and not attract any media attention.

Christian, however, assured her that nothing bad would happen. The whole place was watched by security, and no reporters or paparazzi were permitted. Also, they were wearing masks, so no one would recognize her anyway.

Ana beams at Christian, reaching up to adjust his bowtie, as Christian presses a tender kiss to her knuckles. "Sweetheart, you look stunning." He says as Ana blushes.

She was wearing an ankle-length, dark maroon, satin gown that had a low, sweetheart neckline paired with red wedges, and her silver necklace sparkled in the moonlight. The necklace was a gift from Christian for her birthday last week, and although she felt bad for taking it, Christian was insistent on her having it. The necklace was a simple, silver chain with a small, round ring attached to it. Inside of the ring carved the words: _My Ana._

Ana sneaks another glance at Christian, staring at the distance, and she thinks about how different her life has become. She was now eighteen, and Christian has helped her enroll in online classes for the University of Washington as well as two classes per week on campus. She was still shy, but with Christian's constant encouragement, she was beginning to become a little bit more bold.

The moonlight scatters onto the water, and Ana leans her head against Christian's shoulder as he smiles down at her and gently kisses her hair. She never wanted to be anywhere else. Christian was her home, her rock, and it was only in his arms, did Ana truly feel safe. It scared her to think about how much Christian meant to her. _If something were to happen to him…_

Ana shivers at the thought.

Someone lightly touches Ana's back, starling her, as Grace comes up to them, smiling a motherly smile. "Ana, dear, do you want to participate in the first dance auction?" she asks, and Ana looks at Christian for an answer.

He grins before pulling her into his embrace and planting another kiss on her temple. "Go, I'll bid on you." He says, letting his lips linger for a couple of seconds before releasing her.

Christian watches Grace lead Ana to the dance floor and onto the stage as he softly smiles to himself. In a month's time, Ana has become so dear to him. He can't imagine life without her. He can't imagine waking up in the morning and not being able to see her smile. He can't imagine no longer having movie nights with her cuddled up next to him. He can't imagine coming home from work and her not being there. He can't imagine not having her. Period.

Christian raises his wine glass in the air and makes a silent toast when Ana looks at him from the stage, and when he sees her giggle in response, his heart swells with pride, joy, and happiness.

 _For fuck's sake, she was turning him into mush…_

"Gentlemen, as you can see, I have many beautiful ladies up here waiting for a dance…" The MC starts. His hair is dyed a dark blue and he's wearing a complimentary, sparkling, glittering, rhinestone suit.

Christian thought the guy looked ridiculous, but in the spirit of festivities, he lets it go.

The MC starts to go down the list of girls and all of their accomplishments, pausing to make small talk and introducing each one of them.

Christian can tell that Ana's nervous. She keeps on switching her foot from side to side as she glances at Christian's direction for confirmation, and he gives her a big, reassuring smile.

Finally, it's her turn.

"This young girl here is Anastasia Steele, she's a student at University of Washington…"

Before the MC can even finish, Christian cuts him off. "One hundred thousand dollars." His loud voice bellows through the dining hall and you can hear everyone's stifled gasps.

Christian cockily smile, his face spreading out in a cheeky grin.

 _Beat that, you fuckers. She's mine…_

Ana, also, silently gasps, gawking at Christian. _Surely, that's a bit much…._

"One hundred thousand dollars going once, going twice…Sold!" The MC enthusiastically declares, excited by the high bid as Ana flushes in embarrassment. All eyes are on her as Christian saunters up to the stage, extending his hand, and Ana giggles as she graciously accepts it. "That's an expensive dance…" She murmurs, a little sheepish as Christian offers her a radiant, sincere smile.

"Baby, I'd happily pay any price in the world if it means I get to dance with you." Christian says, guiding her to the dance floor as a rendition of _Fly Me to the Moon_ by Frank Sinatra loudly plays on the speakers and Christian twirls Ana around.

Soon, other people join them on the dance floor, but Christian's sole focus is on Ana as he spins and twirls her around. They are in their own, little, happy bubble as the music slowly slows, and Ana rests her head on Christian's chest as he gently rocks them back and forth, releasing in the feel of having her in his arms. Christian never wanted to be anywhere else, because, having her with him, was more than he ever wanted. He remembers when he was little, he wanted to grow up to be wise, kind, brave, and courageous. He wanted to be the superhero on TV and save the world, but having Ana with him made him realize that he didn't need to be the superhero of the entire universe, he only needed to be her superhero, and that alone, was enough for him.

Suddenly, Christian stiffens, his back muscles tensing in the way they always did when he sensed something bad.

"What is it?" Ana asks, cupping Christian's cheek as he gives her a forced smile.

"Nothing, baby, I just think someone wants to speak to me." Christian says as he stops his feet from swaying, and Ana turns around.

There is Elena, dressed in a sleek, black suit along with 5-inch stilettoes. Her eyes are narrowed and her lips are pressed into a tight, thin line as she regards Christian, a look of complete disgusts overshadowing her features.

Christian tries to hide his discomfort as he pulls Ana closer and moves them farther into the sea of dancers. He needed to get Elena away from her.

"Sweetheart." Christian says, pausing to tuck a strand of fallen hair behind her ear. "How about you go get a drink or a bite to eat, and you let me take care of this?" He whispers, giving Ana's hand an affectionate squeeze.

Ana peers at Elena, memories of the cane flooding her brain, as she shutters, clutching Christian tighter.

"Do you have to?" She asks, hating how small her voice sounded.

Christian softens, pulling her closer. "Ana, I promise I'll be right back. I just need to talk to her; I don't want her causing any trouble, yeah? It will only be a minute." Christian promises as Ana bites her lip, contemplating.

The problem wasn't Christian. No, Ana trusted Christian. It was Elena. Elena she didn't trust.

But there really wasn't anything she could do. Elena was powerful and well respected. Ana knew that Elena could cause Christian a lot of problems if she wanted to. "Ok." she softly whispers even if she didn't want to as Christian squeezes her fingers, leaning over to press a soft kiss to her lips.

"I won't be long." He assures her before dropping her hand and walking towards Elena.

Ana can tell that Christian's un-happy, and when Elena tries to place her hand on his shoulder, he shrugs her off.

Not wanting to intrude on the conversation, Ana heads to the snack table.

 _You're being too sensitive…_ She tells herself as she picks up a sad, little piece of cheese and glances at the dance floor once again. Elena and Christian were glaring at each other, and their conversation seems to have taken a nasty turn as Christian shoves his hands deep into his pocket.

Ana's heart contorts as she watches them. _What if Elena was hurting Christian? What if she was intentionally demeaning him?_

"Ana!" Someone yells, all of the sudden, and Ana turns around to see who's calling her. A young girl, probably about early twenties, was standing before her, and she was wearing a simple, black mask that concealed her facial features.

"I'm sorry, do I…uh…know you?" Ana asks, a bit hesitant.

The girl smiles before tugging off her mask, revealing a pair of hazel eyes, and Ana recognizes Jessica. Her hair is no longer hip length, but instead, she's sporting a pixie cut that gave her an edgy appearance.

Jessica gazes out at the dance floor and spots Elena as she gives Ana a sympathetic smile. She already anticipated Elena to show up tonight.

"Ana." she unexpectedly whispers. "I need to talk with you about something privately." She says, her voice hushed and serious.

Ana's eyes widen, and she was just about to protest, when Jessica gently takes her hand and ushers her outside, not giving her a chance to speak, as she quietly drags Ana down the hallway. Ana was becoming increasingly more anxious as the music begins to fade and she can no longer hear the chattering of people. After a while, they finally reach the farthest room in the back, and after checking no one was following them, Jessica locks the door.

Ana starts to reach for the lock, her heart hammering furiously in her chest as a feeling of unease settle over her. "I don't think this is a good idea…" she begins. "Christian will be looking for me…" she says as she tries to push past Jessica, but Jessica stops her, grabbing her hands.

"No, Ana, this is important. I'm not here to hurt you or Christian. I want to help you guys." She pleads, fumbling in her purse as she pulls out a small flash drive and shoves it Ana's hand.

Ana stares at the flash drive and then looks at Jessica. _Everything was so confusing. What was happening? Why couldn't Jessica just leave her alone?_

Jessica continues, her voice becoming smaller and smaller. "Look, Ana, I signed an NDA, and I could potentially get into a lot of trouble for this…" She pauses, swallowing a shaky breath. "When I was with Christian...I always had a funny feeling about this lady that would come over. Her name is Elena Lincoln and she owns a set of solons.." Ana gasps, covering her mouth. _Did Jessica also know about Elena?_

Jessica stares down at her feet, shame swimming in her eyes. "I…I knew it was wrong, but I…I had to find out what happened to Christian, and…uh…one day…I…did some digging…" she quietly admits, her eyes still fixed on the floor as she whispers the next part. "Christian's computer was too hard to hack into…but Elena's was relatively easy."

"I…found some pictures…" Jessica confesses, her voice so quiet that Ana could hardly hear her. "Those pictures are in the flash drive…I…I never did anything with them…" She whispers, her voice anguished, and Ana reaches out to squeeze her hand, suddenly feeling bad for the girl.

"Ana." Jessica whispers again, suddenly clutching Ana's hand. "You don't see it, but Christian loves you. He never loved anyone else, and I know, I know you are the one for him. You need to help him, or if anything else, get Elena in jail. Some of those pictures…" Jessica trails off, unable to finish her sentence as a lone tear trickles down her cheek.

Jessica wipes her face before composing herself and continuing. "I know it's none of my business, and I can only imagine Christian's wrath once he finds out what I've done." She sniffles. "I only want to do my part to warn you. Elena's evil, pure evil, and I don't put it past her to hurt you."

Ana gives Jessica a kind, reassuring smile. "I'll be careful." She promises as Jessica hugs her.

"Ok, sweetie, I'm so happy for you and Christian." She says, brushing away the last of her tears so it didn't ruin her mascara. "Don't worry, you won't have to see me again. I only wanted to warn you guys; I don't think Christian has ever seen the pictures himself, but maybe with you, he'll finally be able to face Elena and his past."

With that, Jessica runs out of the room, leaving Ana stunned.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian's pacing around like a caged lion. "Where the fuck did she go Taylor! I told you to look after her!" He whispers-yells, scanning the crowds of people once again, hoping to spot a skinny, brunette girl in a maroon dress.

"Mr. Grey. I need you to calm down." Taylor says in a composed manner. "I already checked with all of the security guards, and they assured me no one left."

This, however, does nothing to calm Christian. "I don't care who left or not. All I know is one minute I'm talking to Elena, and the next, Ana's gone! Where could she go?! Fuck, fuck, fuck, I knew I shouldn't have talked to Elena. She's probably upset now…" Christian rambles, his thoughts and words jumbled as he frantically tugs on his hair.

"Mr. Grey, I see her." Taylor informs, spotting Ana in the distance walking towards them as Christian's head shoots up, and he immediately runs towards her.

Before Ana can even say hi, Christian crushes her to his chest. "Oh baby, where did you go? Are you upset? Are you ok? What happened?" He fires question after question, tightening his hold around her.

"Christian." Ana says, startled by his distress. "I'm ok. I just went to use the restroom." She lies, but Christian's too busy hugging her to even notice.

"Don't you ever do that to me again. I was so worried someone would take you or you left…or…or…" Christian mumbles. Lately, he's been on edge about Ana's safety. Taylor and his team still couldn't find Steve, and that worried Christian.

Ana brushes her hand along Christian's cheek, smoothing his ruffled, copper hair. "Christian, baby, I'm ok. I'm here. Alright?" She asks, and Christian nods, hugging her closer.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana and Christian are sitting in the dark. She was only wearing her bra and panties, and Christian was dressed in boxers. They were both exhausted from the gala, but neither of them wanted to sleep.

Ana's softly running her hand through his hair. "Can you tell me about Elena?" she asks, quietly. She has decided that she should talk to Christian first instead of jumping to the flash drive. She knew that whatever it is Christian endured was hard for him to talk about, and she didn't want to push him. She wanted to slowly, gradually show Christian his own pain. She knew that it would be hard, she knew that the scars Elena etched were deep and painful; she knew that Elena has beaten and hurt Christian until he was whimpering like a child, starved of attention and love.

Christian tenses. "There's not much to tell. She was my dominant when I was 15. It ended when I was 19. That's all." He says, shrugging nonchalantly as Ana playfully narrows her eye.

"I know there's more to the story than that." She teases, rubbing his arms in the hopes that it made him more comfortable. "How did it start?" She asks.

Christian contemplates this for a second, and as much as he trusted Ana, as much as he loved her, he didn't want to burden her with his ugly past. "Sweetheart." He says, rolling over and flopping on his stomach as he trails his hand down her side, trying to distract her. "Can we please not think about Elena? That's in the past and I don't want to talk about it." He petulantly argues, sounding like a child even to his own ears.

Ana purses her lips. "Well, you still talk to her, and she has clearly made you upset tonight. I can tell by how you're acting. Please, talk to me, you know I won't judge you." Ana pleads, blue eyes beseeching Christian as he shakes his head.

"No, Ana, I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about it. It's ugly and painful and I don't want to expose you to all of that shit. I promise you, what happened tonight won't happen again. I'd made sure that she'll stay out of our lives." Christian says.

Ana sighs, tracing Christian's five o clock shadow. "You know I've been through some ugly and painful shit too; you know I can handle it." she whispers, laying her head on Christian's chest as he pets her hair.

"I know baby, and I'm more than proud of you for telling me about your past." Christian says, bending over and planting a kiss on the crown of Ana's head. "Elena and I, however, are different. She helped me. It might've not been the traditional way of helping another person, but in the long run, she shaped me into who I am today, she taught me control and discipline. In a way, I'm indebted to her."

Ana drew a long breath before slowly exhaling as she takes Christian's hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. Ana felt like crying. _What did Elena do to make Christian feel like this?_

In the silent night, she nestles closer to Christian and wraps her arms around his torso, hoping that, at least, her touch could comfort him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana couldn't breath; it was like all of the air has been sucked out of her lungs, leaving her gasping for oxygen as she clutches her throat. Her vision is blurry and all she can see is Christian.

Christian canned black and blue. Christian bound to a cross by leather ropes.

The flash drive was plugged into her computer, and on the screen displayed various pictures, some of Christian and some of other, younger boys.

All of them were gagged, tied, and whipped.

Her hand shakes uncontrollably as she tries to click the little, red x on the top of the screen, wanting nothing more than to erase all of the pictures from her mind.

 _No wonder Jessica…_

 _Breath, you need to breath._ Ana chants to herself, taking a trembling breath as she steadies herself against the table.

It all made sense. It made sense why Christian didn't want to talk about it. It made sense why Christian believed that he was so unlovable. It made sense why Christian choose to isolate himself from the rest of the world.

 _What Elena did…_

Emotions swirl around Ana as she staggers up. She feels it all. She feels the anger, the pain, the sorrow, the hurt, the doubt. Everything.

She needs to get to Christian. She needs to hug him and hold him and tell him everything was going to be alright, that she was going to be by his side no matter what, that they could fight this together.

As Ana stands up, her legs become unsupportive beams ready to collapse at any second, and she feels a panic attack lurking in the dark as if a tsunami ready to consume her.

Ana holds onto the side of the table, forcing herself to take more breaths, as she stumbles towards the door. Her hand accidentally knocks over a vase.

The glass shatters into a million pieces.

Christion, upon hearing the loud bang, rushes upstairs. Ana was in the library, and he has assumed that she had been reading while he was downstairs in his office, finishing some work.

Christian throws open the library door and immediately notices Ana. Her face is buried in her hands and her body is sunken against the sofa with a thousand pieces of tiny glass shards scattered around her.

"Ana." Christian gasps, crouching by her side as he gently gathers her into his arms and sits them on the couch.

"Baby, what happened?" He asks, concern marring his brows, and he rubs her back and hair, hoping to calm her down.

Christian's eyes widen in surprise when Ana all but crushes herself to him, becoming so small as she hiccups. "I'm sorry." She sniffles, squeezing her eyes shut and hugging him with all of her force. "I'll never leave you, and you are so precious to me and I won't ever allow anything to happen to you." She whispers.

"Wow, wow, wow." Christian chuckles, lifting her up so she's straddling his lap as he runs his hands up and down her arms. "What's all this about?" He asks, stroking her back.

Ana hiccups one more time before handing him her computer and burying her head in the crock of his neck.

Christian scans through the pictures, and Ana can feel the atmosphere in the room change as his grip tightens around her and his nails dig into her skin.

"Ana, where did you get these?" He asks. His voice, as if frozen over with ice, contains no emotions.

"Jessica." Ana whispers, not even daring to look at him. "She gave them to me at the gala." She adds quietly, almost too quietly.

"So yesterday, when I was worried sick looking for you, you were talking to Jessica? My ex-submissive?" Christian questions, pushing Ana off his lap and grasping her chin so she was forced to look at him.

"Huh?" He demands.

Ana tries explaining. "Christian." She pleads. "Please don't be mad. Jessica…she…she just wants to help, and I know it's hard, but baby," she says, reaching up to cup his cheek as Christian shoves her hand out of his face. "Baby." Ana whispers again, her voice laced with unshed tears. "We can get through this. I'll help you. We can go see Flynn or…or…"

Before she can even finish, Christian stands up, almost knocking her off the couch. "And what if I don't want your help, huh?" He shouts.

"What if I'm fine with the way I am? What if I like being isolated and fucked up?" He continues and yells, punching his fist through the drywall as Ana flinches, scared. She has never seen Christian this mad.

"Christian…" She begs, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I'm not saying I don't like the way you are. Baby, I love you, I just want to help you. I know you're in pain and that you have been though a lot of suffering. Trust me, I know, because I feel it every day."

Christian's eyes turn into scary, grey hollows as he stares at her. "Don't you dare throw that love bullshit at me. You know I'm unlovable, so don't you pretend to be the good guy. What do you know about my relationship with Elena? Huh? Do you know that, without her, there wouldn't be a GEH? Do you know that, without her, there wouldn't be me? I know you guys all hate her, and yes, I'm not saying you have to like her or be her friend. But you know what? She's my friend, and she was my only friend for a long time!"

Anger wells in Ana as hot tears sting her eyes. "How can you say that she helped you?" She asks, standing up as tears stream down her face.

Christian looks down at his hand, his knuckles were now bleeding from where he punched the wall, and he can hear Ana trying to stifle her sobs as he swallows harshly and runs out of the room.

 _Look what you've done Grey…_

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana's pacing around the kitchen as she runs her hand through her hair. It's only until now that she realizes how much Christian has rubbed off on her.

 _Pacing around the room, running hands through hair. You're practically the same person…_ Her subconscious snarls at her.

Taylor has also been running around, calling everybody he can think of. He even called Ros, hoping that maybe Christian went to her, but nothing.

Nada.

Christian has left his phone, credit card, car, and id in Escala. There was no possible way for Taylor to track him, and as far as he knew, Christian was wondering around the streets of Seattle in the middle of the night.

 _My boss is the biggest idiot in this entire fucking universe._ Taylor thinks to himself as Ana buries her head in her hands, silently sobbing, as Taylor gently rubs her shoulders.

"Don't worry, sweetie, we'll find him. He can't disappear. He's probably chilling in some bar, and he'll be back by morning." Taylor comforts, although he wasn't so sure himself.

 _Christian was worth a lot of money, and someone could easily kidnap him, especially if the fool drank himself stupid…_

Ana hiccups, tears streaming down her face. "it's all my fault." She sobs. "I knew I shouldn't have pushed him, and now…he's…he's gone."

Taylor sighs as he squeezes Ana's hand. "Don't worry, he'll come back. I know he will." He assures her as he glances at his phone once again.

Suddenly, his iPhone starts ringing and Ana stops crying as Taylor hurriedly picks it up.

" _Yes?...It is he…yes…I see…yes…ok, I'll be right there."_

Taylor hangs up and turns around to give Ana an encouraging smile.

"The idiot went to Flynn's house and got himself drunk." Taylor answer as Ana exhales in relief.

 **A/N: Hmmm...What do you guys think?**

 **XO, Lauren.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/n-Thank You for ALL of the lovely reviews (my sincere apologies if I didn't get to you, but I really tried my best to respond to everyone). Anyways, you guys blow me away every time with your love and support, and I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this story so much.**

 **All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 14-Love, it's a funny thing**

Ana hears the ding of the elevator and immediately turns around. Taylor stumbles into the living room with Christian's arm slung around him, and Flynn follows them, wearing an amused expression.

Taylor moves Christian to the couch, dropping him as if a sack of potatoes and Christian collapses on the soft cushion as Ana rushes to his side.

"Christian? Baby?" She asks, running her fingers across his stubble as Christian sleepily smiles.

"You smell gooddddd…" He slurs, reaching out to grab her, but his hands seem to be disobeying his body and all he ended up grabbing was fistfuls of air.

"Anaaaaaaaa…" he whines, reaching out for her once again when he feels her absent of presence. Christian's vision is blurry, and everything seems to be swirling around him, but in the foggy mess of his brain, Christian can recognize Ana's scent, a mix of strawberries and fresh morning dew.

"I'm right here." Ana assures him, taking both of his hands.

Christian gives her a drunk, lazy smile. "Do youuuu want to go to bedddddd? I can make you feel sooooooo good." He sings, and Ana can smell the strong scent of whiskey emanating from his breath as he clumsily pulls her towards him, his eager lips seeking her soft ones, but Ana gently holds him down so he would stop thrashing and giggles shyly as she casts a worried glance at Flynn who kindly smiles at her. "Christian, you're drunk, and Flynn and Taylor are here." She says.

"Fuck*hiccup*Flynn." Christian burps, still trying to desperately pull Ana on top of him, but it feels like his brain and body are shutting down.

Ana giggles again, although there was a definite hurt swimming in her clear, blue eyes. She has been up all night worrying about Christian. She has told him she loved him. She has given him everything she had to give, but still, he ran, and now, he was back here drunk, wanting sex.

Ana didn't understand Christian's relationship with Elena. Those pictures have disturbed her. Seeing him like that, tied up, bleeding, and in pain made Ana's heart physically ache, and she didn't understand how Elena, someone willing to hurt a child, could help him. Ana knew that Christian had a hard time admitting his past, and she knew that seeing those pictures must have been hard for him too, but did he really have to run?

"Come on, sleepyhead. Let's get you to bed." Ana says, slinging Christian's arm over her slender shoulder and trying to haul him up, but he's too heavy, and Taylor comes to her aid, giving her a tired smile.

Flynn also helps them, and Ana shakily sighs as she shakes his hand, the day's event taking a toll on her.

"Dr. Flynn, I appreciate all that you have done. Thank you for taking care of Christian."

Flynn gives her a warm smile. "It's no problem at all. Glad I was at least of some use. Just make sure to tell Christian to come see me once he's sobered up." He says, and Ana forces a small smile.

"I will do that. I think I need a session myself as well." She reluctantly admits as Flynn hands her his business card.

"My door is always open. Don't hesitate to call."

Ana and Taylor lay Christian on his bed, and Taylor gives Ana a big hug.

"He'll come around. I promise." He says, rubbing Ana's back as hot tears sting her eyes.

"But what if he hates me?" She asks, her voice barely a whisper.

Taylor sighs as he gently thumbs away two of her tears. "Sweetie, he doesn't hate you. Christian has issues with self-love, as I'm sure you know, but he doesn't hate you. Ok?"

"Ok." Ana sighs as Taylor gives her another hug and leaves the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Elena: "Christian, she's not good for you. She's not what you need."_

 _"And what is it that I need?"_

 _"You need control, you need to be the master of your own universe. She takes that away. Christian, I thought you were better than this. Don't fall for a stupid, mousy girl that's going to destroy your world. Love is for fools Christian, let me remind you of that."_

 _"And what do you know about love? Do you know that Ana's the best damn thing that ever happened to me? Huh? I'm telling you Elena, stay out of our lives. Don't make me force you."_

Christian awakes with a jolt, surrounded by the deep blue of his bedroom wall, and a soft string of morning sun streams through the window as he clutches his head.

 _Where is he? What happened? Why was there so much screaming going on in his head?_

Christian takes a deep breath, trying to recollect last night's events as his breathing gradually evens out. His brain is a foggy, jumbles mess, and it's as if a war has erupted between his thoughts and memories.

So much has happened. _Elena showing up at the Gala, Ana asking about his past, Jessica, pictures, fighting with Ana…he hates fighting with Ana. God, why did he have to make her cry?_

 _Jessica and the pictures…_

Christian's eyes fly open as everything suddenly comes rushing back to him, and he remembers what happened. He remembers the pictures Jessica showed Ana, and why he fought with Ana. He remembers running out of the room and seeing Flynn. He doesn't know how he got to Flynn's place, but he was with Flynn. He must've been drunk.

Christian bolts up, and he doesn't even bother slipping on sweat pants as he tumbles down the stairs in his boxers.

"Taylor!" he yells as he approaches his security guard in the foyer. "Where's Ana? I need to talk to her." He demands.

Taylor gives his boss a once over, narrowing his eyes as his gaze becomes frosted over with ice.

"Which Ana?" Taylor's voice is a chilling tone. "Is she the girl that stayed up all night, worried sick, looking for you? Or is she the girl who when she told you she loved you, you threw it right back in her face and ran away? Or is she the one that took care of you when I finally brought you home, half drunk and passed out?"

Christian stares down at his feet, shame overshadowing his features, and he swallows harshly. "Look, I know I fucked up. I just need to know where she is."

Taylor squints at Christian one last time before answering. "She's upstairs." He says, his voice devoid of emotion as Christian rushes up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time.

Christian reaches the sub room, and he pauses for a moment before lightly knocking and cracking open the door.

Ana lies, curled up in fetal position and buried under the blankets, as she sniffles, and Christian's heart breaks.

"Baby." He whispers, crawling onto the bed as the mattress dips because of his weight.

Ana's only response is another sniffle as Christian moves closer to her, leaning on his elbow as he hovers above her. "Baby." He whispers again, his voice soft and low as Ana sniffles, burying her head in the pillow and sobbing harder.

Christian leans down and gently kisses her nose and forehead, hoping to coax her to open her eyes.

 _she's so sensitive…_

Finally, she peeks up at him with red-rimmed eyes and tear stained cheeks as Christian's heart scrunches up and practically dies on the spot.

"Are you still mad at me?" She croaks, and Christian softly smiles, settling himself under the covers.

"No baby, I'm not mad at you. If anything, you should be mad at me. Hmmm?" He hums, kissing her forehead and cheeks about five times each before drawing her into his embrace.

Ana lets out a teary giggle. "I'm not mad at you." She quietly admits, snuggling next to him.

 _This is where she wanted to be all night. In his arms._

Christian chuckles, the deep sound vibrating in his lungs, as he kisses her hair. "I'm glad." He says, gently running his fingers through the ends of her hair.

Ana lays her head on Christian's chest, and she can hear his steady heartbeat, calming her, as she hooks her leg around his waist, and he tugs her closer, rubbing small circles on her back and relishing in the feel of having her in his arms.

 _This is where he wanted to be all night. With her._

"You know." Christian says, kissing the tip of her nose. "We need to talk about the elephant in the room."

"Elena?" Ana asks softly, and an amused smile flitters across Christian's face.

"Yes, Elena." He says, smiling lovingly down towards her. "As much as I would like to, I can't avoid this topic forever, and yesterday, I told you how I feel about her. Can you tell me how you feel?" He asks, interlacing their fingers.

Ana darts her gaze away and looks down as she contemplates her answer. "Sad." She whispers. "I mostly feel sad. I know you said she was your only friend, and I know I don't have the right to ask for you not to talk to her…but, seeing those pictures…" She trails off, blue eyes down casted as Christian places two fingers under her chin, tilting her head up.

"Hey." He says, thumbing away an escaped tear, as he presses a tender kiss to her lips. "It's ok to be sad. Those pictures were disturbing. I get it. Yeah?" he asks, and Ana gives a little nod as Christian continues.

"Seeing those pictures disturbed me as well." He confesses. "I have never seen them, and seeing them like that really did something to me, and then, you told me you loved me…" He pauses, forcing the lump past his throat and Ana reaches out to squeeze his hand. "I never believed in love, and after seeing those pictures, the only thing that kept on running through my head was how can somebody love someone like that." Christian's voice breaks, and Ana squeezes his hand tighter.

"Oh Christian." She murmurs, tracing soothing circles on his knuckles before gently leaning over and planting a kiss on his lips. "I love you, and you know, no picture in the world, no matter how horrible, can convince me otherwise." She professes.

Christian grins, nuzzling his nose against her hair, as he rolls over so he's on top of her and Ana giggles as he begins to trail a string of kisses from her ear to her collarbone.

"And I love you too." He whispers. "So much."

XXXXXXXXXX

Elena's fuming as she throws her cup of wine on Jacob, her new pet, a boy who just turned 16.

"Is something wrong, Mistress?" Jacob asks, a bit shock and embarrassed as he wipes the red liquid from his face. He doesn't understand why his Mistress was mad. He hasn't done anything bad.

Elena gives him a cold stare as she slaps him across the face. Hard. "Did I ask you to speak?" She demands.

"No, Mistress." Jacob mutters, holding his cheek, as he kneels back down.

Elena refills her glass as she lets out a frustrated sigh. The conversation she had with Christian at the gala did not turn out like how she expected.

She realized that she couldn't convince Christian that Ana was no good for him. The stupid boy was head-over-heals.

Elena takes another sip of her drink, swirling the wine around and casting an unconcerned glance at Jacob as she continues to think.

Christian was hers. He turned out the best out of all the boys she has trained. She always expected that after she taught them discipline, they would all turn out successful and she could depend on them for her lavish and expensive lifestyle, but none of them became what she wanted and they all left her.

Except for Christian.

Christian, even from when she first met him at 10, was special. Elena knew. She waited for years to get the opportunity to introduce him as her new slave.

You see, Christian was unlike the others. No, the other boys were too cocky and mostly wanted the sex afterwards. But Christian, yes, Christian wanted sex, but due to his extreme low self-esteem. He was the easiest to manipulate, not to mention his touch issue that was only an added bonus.

He was easy to threaten, already a victim of abuse, it became all too simple to enforce the feelings of rejection on him. Christian felt unloved by everyone around him, an outcast of this society. He thought he was the imperfect boy in the perfect family, and Elena took that to her full advantage, never failing to tell him just how unworthy he was.

Elena gracefully downs her glass of wine as she crosses her legs, picking at her newly manicured fingers, and a sinister smile spreads across her face.

She knew that she couldn't convince Christian that Ana was no good for him, but she could, once again, play on his insecurities and convince him that he wasn't any good for Ana, that he was a monster who would destroy her.

Elena smiles to herself, standing up and walking towards her computer, and with a couple click of her polished nails, she pulls up an old file on her computer. This was risky, but it was the only chance to get Christian to leave Ana and have him under her control once again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian's head is on Ana's chest and she giggles because he is laying on her boob. They are both recovering from their orgasms and Christian can feel Ana's even and soft breathing as she gently twirls his hair around her fingers.

They are a mess of limbs, giggles, and laughter as Christian tilts his head up and Ana leans down to kiss him. This is where they both wanted to be, in each other's arm, and when Christian looks into Ana's clear, artic-ocean blue eyes, all he sees is love and wonder.

Christian realizes that this, with Ana, is exactly what has been missing in his life. Before Ana, he was a heartless CEO living in the outskirts of humanity, but with her, he was alive. Not breathing, but truly alive. He was aware of his heart beating in his chest. _Thump, thump, thump…_ He was aware of his heart because it leaped with joy every time Ana laughed or giggled and it cried every time Ana cried.

He wanted to share everything with her. He wanted to tell her about his past, about his birth mother, about Elena. Because, for the first time, he wasn't afraid. He knew Ana was going to be by his side.

Ana lovingly smiles down at him.

"A penny for your thoughts?" She asks, a small smile hanging by the edge of her lips as Christian pulls her closer, wrapping his legs around her.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about Elena. If you want to, you can ask me anything about her. I'll answer honestly."

Ana grows silent and her hand involuntarily finds Christian's as she intertwines their fingers.

"Why did she punish you? What were her rules?" Ana finally decides to ask, giving Christian a tentative kiss as he smiles and shakes his head, a bit amused by her question.

"Her rules were mostly stupid like no speaking, kneeling with your back straight. A lot of arbitrary shit. Her main ones were no drinking, drugs, and good grades. I remember one of my worst punishments was when I lost the place of valedictorian at my high school."

 ** _Flash back._**

 _Christian was kneeling before Elena on her living room floor, the cold marble hard under his knees, and she was sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine, as she glances at Christian._

 _"Pet." She says, making Christian slightly cringe._

 _"Yes Mistress?"_

 _"I want you to go down to my dungeon and wait for me. I'll be there shortly to give you your whipping."_

 _Christian involuntarily whimpers. "Does it have to be the whip?" he asks, hating how small his voice sounded._

 _"What do you mean does it have to be the whip?" she asks, raising an incredulous brow while staring at him with glacial like eyes._

 _Christian looks down. "I…I haven't done anything that bad this week…" He whispers, and it was true. He's been an angel. He didn't drink, didn't fight, didn't skip school. Not even once._

 _Elena narrows her eyes. "That's for me to decide. You don't get a say in your punishment, but let's not forget about how disappointed Grace was when you lost your place as valedictorian. Now tell me Christian, do you like disappointing your parents? Huh?"_

 _Heavy shame swims in Christian's eyes. "No." He murmurs._

 _Elena raises her questioning brow once again. "So answer me pet, do you think you deserved to be whipped?"_

 _Christian squeezes his eyes shut. "Yes Mistress, I deserved to be whipped." He whispers._

 ** _End of Flashback_**

Ana listens quietly, hugging Christian closer. "That's horrible. I'm sorry." She whispers as Christian strokes her hair, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "It's nothing. It's in the past." He responds.

Actually, now that he said it out loud, he didn't understand why he allowed Elena to punish him. He only knew he thought he deserved it.

All of the sudden, they hear Taylor's stern and strict voice.

"You're not allowed up here, Elena."

"What are you talking about? Christian never had a problem with me coming here."

"He's not here."

"Oh Taylor, don't play stupid. I saw his car in the garage…"

Christian groans as he shuffles up and bends down to kiss Ana on the lips. He knew he needed to deal with Elena, sooner rather than later.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'm just going to go down and tell her that I'm breaking ties with her, and she'll be out of our lives. I'll be right back. I promise. Ok?"

Worried, blue eyes blink up at him. "Do you want me to go with you? I'm afraid she's going to hurt you." Ana says, sitting up as well, as Christian smiles and sadly shakes his head.

"No, you stay here. Elena can't hurt me anymore. All of that was a long time ago, and she can't tell me anything I don't already know. I'm more concerned about you, so you stay up here with your little, sexy ass and I'll be right back, deal?"

Ana can't help but giggle. _How could Christian make her laugh, even in moments like these?_

"Deal." She whispers as Christian kisses her head one more time.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Elena." Christian's voice is cold as he stares at his ex-mistress, and Elena smiles sweetly at him.

"Christian, darling, we got off on the wrong foot last night. I was hoping maybe I'd be able to talk with you again?" She asks, trailing her fingers up his forearm.

Christian narrows his eyes as he takes a step back. "There's not much to talk about, I already told you, stay out of my relationship, but since we're on the topic. Do you have the papers for the solons? I want to sign off on them, and you can leave. I don't need you anymore."

Elena gasps. She hasn't realized that things have gotten out of her hands this quickly.

"What do you mean, Christian? We have always been great, business partners." Elena purrs as Christian scoffs.

"You mean I have been a great, business partner to you. Elena, don't pretend I don't know how much money I have put into you and your stupid salons. I think I have done my fair part, and it's time for me to drop out. I'll get the papers." He says, turning briskly away and walking towards his office.

"Christian!" Elena exclaims, following behind him. "You seriously haven't fallen for all of that whore's lies, have you? I thought I trained you better then this. Love is for fools Christian, and folks like you and I are just not made for love. I told you this."

Christian suddenly whisks around and before Elena can even comprehend what's happening, he has her pinned against the wall, his hand pressed over her throat.

"Don't. You. Ever. Call. Ana. A. Whore. Do. You. Understand. Me?" He spits out each word, grey orbs blazing with fire before releasing his grip.

Elena rubs her neck, coughing slightly. "Christian." She gives a bitter laugh, composing herself. "Do you really think you are capable of loving Ana?"

Elena's words were as if a glass shard that sliced through Christian's heart.

 _No, he wasn't capable of love. He wasn't right for Ana._

Elena smiles when she sees Christian looks away. This was the one card she had-Christian's own self-doubt.

"Did you really think you were going to be normal after your little relationship, huh?" Elena seizes her opportunity and continues.

"Did you really think you were going to become that perfect, good, gentlemen with Ana? Christian, we both know you're a monster inside. You want nothing more than to watch all of your submissive hurt and cry because that's who you are. Remember Christian, even your birth mom didn't love you, and Grace, well, she mostly just felt sorry for you. Christian, love is for fools. You're better off alone, you are the master of your own universe. Let Ana go, she deserves someone better, you're only going to destroy her. She may look happy now, but you are going to eventually bring her down. You don't deserve her love or whatever this is you call it. Let her go and go find yourself a masochist to fuck instead."

Heavy shame clouds Christian's features.

 _Elena's right. He doesn't deserve Ana._

"And who the fuck do you think i deserve?"

Ana's voice abruptly interrupts both Christian and Elena, and Christian's eyes widen in surprise when he looks up and catches Ana standing by the doorway. Her blue eyes seemed to have turned into icy glacial as she regards Elena and she walks straight up to her, slapping her hard across the face, as Elena gasps and clutches her cheek.

"How dare you talk to Christian like that?" Ana hisses as Christian sits there, shell-shocked.

 _Did his sweet, kind Ana just slap someone?_

Ana, however, is nowhere near done as she twists Elena's arm and presses her onto the table. "Now, let me tell you something. You don't know a damn thing about love, and you're the only person in this room who's incapable of love. Christian deserves my love as much as anyone else, and he's loved by everyone. His birth mom, Grace, Carrick, Mia, Elliott, Taylor, Flynn, and Me. You are the only one who doesn't love him, and you know what, you're right, love does make us semi-foolish, but it also makes us human. Love is sometimes messy, and it drives us crazy, and it's not perfect, but it's what keeps us alive. Love is acceptance. Love is kindness. Love is pride. Love is humility. Love is justice. Love is protection. Love is perfection, and just so you know, Christian deserves that love, and I will love him even if this whole world tries to tear us apart. I will fight to keep that love, and I will shield him from every monster out there, starting with you, because Christian's not the monster underneath the bed, but you are. So incase I haven't made myself clear, get the hell away from me and _my_ man."

Elena whimpers as she limps towards the door, rubbing her arm, and Taylor escorts her out, mouthing "good job" to Ana as she giggles.

Christian's still sitting in his chair, dumb-stuck, and all he can do is stare at Ana blanky.

"Sorry, I was eavesdropping and I couldn't stand the way she was talking to you." Ana quietly admits as she gives a shy, little shrug, and Christian blinks several more times.

Christian feels something flicker in him. He doesn't know what it is, all he knows is that he feels strangely warm and happy. Christian never had anyone stand up for him. He was always a very independent child, and he kept everyone at arm's length, but seeing Ana stand up for him, fight for him, protect him when he needed it made Christian feel giddy and goo-like inside.

Suddenly, his face busts out into huge, gigantic grin and he stands up and scoops Ana into his embraces as he spins her around. "I didn't know you had that in you, my sassy, protective girl." Christian laughs, and Ana giggles.

"Well, you are always very protective around me. I guess I'm just returning the favor." She says, giggling, as Christian tightens his embrace.

"I love you." He murmurs as Ana wraps her arm around him and pulls him into a kiss.

"I love you too."

 **A/n-What do you guys think about protective Ana? I kind of like her, lol. And I promise Elena will get what she deserves (insert evil grin).**

 **I'll update again next week, and I wish I could update sooner, but the best I think I can do right now is update once a week. Summer for me is crazy because I have two jobs and our school made us turn in our laptops as well, so I'm currently using my phone to write which also slows me down quite a bit. Thank you for all of the wonderful support I've gotten from everyone. Love you guys, Xoxo, Lauren.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/n-Thank you for all of the reviews and support. I truly have the best group of readers. I try to respond to all of them but if I missed you, my sincere apologies.**

 **Ok, so my life is still in mayhem right now with graduation and jobs, so this is a shorter chapter and it's a day late (I'm so sorry) but some important things happen in this short, little section.**

 **Also, please forgive any mistakes, I'm still using my phone to write.**

 **Chapter 15-Slaying Dragons**

Ana feels Christian slide into bed next to her, his hot breath tickling her neck, and she softly smiles to herself before rolling over.

"Hello Handsome." She teases as a lazy grin spreads across Christian's face.

"Hello Beautiful." He says, tucking a fallen strand of hair behind her ear and earning himself a giggle, his favorite sound.

"How was your meeting?" Ana asks, laying her head on his chest and taking comfort in the steady rhythm of his beating heart.

Christian chuckles, leaning down to press a tender kiss to her lips. "Kind of boring. Sorry I had to leave you. I didn't want to."

Ana lovingly smiles up at him, running her fingers over the tip of the stubble he's been trying to grow. "You know, as much as I would like to, you can't stay by my side every minute of every hour."

Christian chuckles again, the deep sound vibrating in his lungs. "Why ever not?" He asks, pulling her one leg over his waist, taking comfort in its weight.

Ana giggles some more as she rolls on top of him, her arousal already glistening on her bare sex as Christian instantly hardens.

"Am I topping this time?" She asks, her giggle escalating as Christian shakes his head, amused.

"Oh Anastasia Steele, you have always topped."

With a thrust upward, Christian presses the tip of his cock into her entrance, and Ana groans in pleasure.

"Christian, faster, please." She begs, trying to ride him but Christian holds her steady on his hips, his fingernails gently pressing into her skin.

"Sorry sweetheart, I plan on savoring you." He says, a sultry, low grin creeping across his face as Ana groans again in both pleasure and frustration.

Suddenly, the door bursts open, and Christian hisses as he abruptly pulls out of Ana and yanks the bed sheets off, draping it across her and covering her naked breasts.

"What the fuck Taylor? You know better than to enter a closed door." Christian growls, glancing at Ana again to make sure she was covered from head to toe.

 _He will not have Ana exposed to anyone's perverted eyes._

Taylor, however, remains impassive, as if walking in on your boss having sex is a daily occurrence.

"Sir, you need to see this. Immediately." He says, handing Christian an iPad.

Christian warily regards Taylor before finally accepting the iPad. "This better be fucking important." He mutters.

Ana scoots closer to Christian to look at the iPad as well. It was probably an urgent business matter that she didn't understand, but she still wanted to know what happened.

Christian wraps an arm around her and pulls her closer before clicking open the tab, thinking Taylor was most likely overreacting to some death threat.

 ** _Christian Grey? Seattle's Hottest Bachelor or BDSM Sadist?_**

Ana and Christian both gasp as they read the headline of Seattle's Time and scroll down, ignoring the warning of restricted content, readers above 18 only.

There were pictures, pictures upon pictures of Christian and various submissives.

Most of the submissives were gagged and tied. Several consisted of Christian wielding a belt, layering welts over their backside.

Ana gulps and clutches Christian's hand when she recognizes one of Jessica. She was bound to a bench, and Christian was holding a cane behind her. His grey eyes were hollow and scary.

Christian's phone buzzes and a message from Elena flashes across the top.

 _"Does Ana still think you're the perfect boyfriend?"_

Hot tears sting Ana's eyes as they roll down her face.

"Christian." She says, squeezing his hand. "You know I don't believe those pictures. You know I know that they all consented and you won't hurt a living soul. Please, you have to believe me. This changes nothing. I still love you, those pictures merely represent a dark past."

Christian stares blankly in the distance, lost in his own universe. It was like he was an outsider looking in, watching a Greek tragedy unfold before his eyes.

Finally, he shrugs. "Why does it matter? I'm done for."

His face was cadaver like. His grey eyes were devoid of life and emotions. His lips hung in a straight line, as if they could never muster up the courage to curve and smile again.

Tears continue to stream down Ana's face as she crawls, the bed sheets still bundled around her, onto Christian's lap and wraps him into her warm embrace.

"We can get through this. The pictures-the pictures from Jessica, we can use those, get Elena put away and show the world that this was just a misunderstanding. That this, this isn't the _real_ you."

Christian shrugs again. "It wouldn't do any good. People now know I'm a monster, nothing's going to change their mind. Everything I worked for, GEH, my family, everything, it's all over."

Ana blinks away several tears and sniffles. "You-you're just in shock. There has to, I mean, there's some way, we can save this. Right? Let me call Welch, or...uh...yes, Welch. He can stop the media leak right? Isn't that his job?" She asks, looking hopefully at Taylor who sadly shakes his head.

"Welch is already on it, but the pictures are on every major media outlet in the US."

Ana wipes away her tears with the back of her hands and scoots next to Christian, enveloping him in her embrace, hoping he could find comfort in her touch.

"There has to be some way. Um...um...wait...you have all the contracts of your submissives right? We can show them those. They will see you didn't hurt anyone unwilling. Uh...Jessica! I'm sure she will testify for us."

Christian scoffs at this. "Don't be naive Ana." He snarls. "We can prove it to them all we want, but do you think people care about contracts and agreements? They will only see a monster beating and fucking brunette girls."

Ana hiccups as a tiny sob escapes her lips.

 _Has she truly lossed Christian?_

Ana gazes at Taylor, silently asking if there was another way, but Taylor shakes his head again, and for the first time, he looks like the old man he really is.

Ana swallows harshly.

 _There has to be another way. She will fight for Christian._

Ana hugs Christian tighter, pressing her body close to his. "I'm going to get us out of this." She whispers and feels Christian squeeze her hand.

"Ana." He sighs. "I can't even fix this. What are you going to do?" He asks, his voice soft, and in that moment, he was no longer the CEO, he was the four year old, little boy-hungry and scared, starved of attention and love.

Christian wasn't being mean. He wasn't trying to discourage Ana. He was simply being realistic. This world is a cruel, cold place. Christian knew. He knew that now that the world saw him as a monster, he would remain a monster.

Ana sniffles, smearing her tears away from the corners of her eyes. "You'll see." She whispers, running out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kate hears an impending, urgent knock on her dorm room door. She was just finishing her paper on broadcast journalism, and it was about 5 in the afternoon, college parties shouldn't be happening till later on. Confused, she opens her door and is greeted by a wide eyed, worried Ana.

"Kate." Ana breaths. "I need your help."

XXXXXXXXXX

"How is he?" Ana asks as Kate and her slip into the backseat of Taylor's car.

Taylor gives her a tired smile from the rear view mirror as he pulls out into Seattle's rush hour traffic. Ana has texted him, asking him to pick her and Kate up at Seattle's news center. Taylor didn't know what plan she had up her sleeve, but he trusted Ana. She was a smart girl.

"Honestly, I don't know." Taylor says, shaking his head. "I have never seen him like this. He hasn't said a word since you left. I think having his biggest secret go viral on the web, and the knowledge that Elena, someone he trusted, was the one that leaked the secret is just too much for Christian. Ana, you have to understand. I have watched Christian built GEH from the ground up, and when the company first started, he didn't sleep for days, working till dawn on acquiring other companies, and now, he faces the possibility of having all of that hard work go down the drain. With a reputation as an actual BDSM sadist in the business world, lord knows what will happen to your company." Taylor says, and Ana becomes silent as she glances at Kate who forces a small smile at her.

 _What if their plan failed? What would they do then?_

Soon, Taylor's pulling the Audi into Escala but pauses when he sees a white cadillac parked in the garage.

He shares a look with Ana before answering her unasked question. "Grace and Carrick are here."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Christian? Baby?" Ana calls, rushing upstairs with Kate and Taylor trailing behind her.

"Did you really beat and raped all of those girls, Christian?...what do you mean it's not like that? What do you think those pictures tell me? Huh?"

Yelling erupts from the living room and Ana runs in, recognizing Carrick's voice.

Christian's clutching his cheek and he's leaning against the wall, as if someone shoved him, and his head is turned the other way.

"Baby." Ana gasps, running to his side, her heart clenching when she looks up and sees tears in his eyes.

"Ana." He croaks, suddenly needing her touch and reaching out for her.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's ok. I'm here." Ana whispers, brushing away his messy copper hair and cradling his face in her palms. "Let me take a look at your cheek, yeah? What happened?" She asks, gently removing his hand and revealing an ugly bruise.

When Christian doesn't answer, Ana turns around. Grace's quietly sobbing in the corner and Carrick has his arms crossed over his chest.

"What happened?" Ana questions again, not gently like she did with Christian but much sterner, and Grace lets out another sob, tears streaming down her face.

"Carrick...Carrick...slapped Christian…"

Ana doesn't even have time to turn to Carrick to demand an explanation when Christian answers.

"I deserved it."

Sadness fills Ana's eyes as she regards her fifty, so lost and small.

 _Why does he think he deserves everything bad?_

"Christian, you didn't deserve it." Ana speaks softly before turning her stone-cold gaze towards Carrick.

"How fucking dare you?" She hisses. "How can you strike your own son like that?"

Carrick narrows his eyes. "I would watch your tone if I were you. I don't call someone who's a sadist my son. You can be honest now, you were one of his masochist as well, right?"

Fire blazes in Ana's eyes. "Christian never laid so much as a finger on me!" Her voice trembles with emotion as hot, angry tears cascade down her face. "Do you want to know what happened to me? Huh? Do you? Because I was fucking SOLD to Christian by Elena, and Christian saved me. He has never hurt me in anyway, and you can have Grace check, there's not so much as a scrape, bruise, or cut on me. Christian has been the most gentle, most BEAUTIFUL human being to me than anyone else in this universe. So how DARE you stand here and accuse your son to be a sadist! I would be ashamed to have a father like you! Just ask yourself, if you have cared for Christian a little bit more, maybe he wouldn't have fallen into the traps of Elena. That's right. Your own so called friend molested your son at the age of fifteen, and she's also the one that leaked the pictures." Ana says, smearing her tears away with the back of her hands, in vain, because they keep falling.

Suddenly, Kate interrupts them, clearing her throat. "Mr and Mrs. Grey, if I may, I just want to say Ana's not lying. Everything she said is true. Here." She says, taking the remote and clicking on the TV.

"Hello there, welcome to Seattle's evening news. This afternoon, we have received groundbreaking information about Christian Grey, CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings, but now, there's even more shocking news. Joining me I have Anastasia Steele. Ana, would you like to say something?"

Christian's eyes widen as he stares at the TV.

 _She didn't? Did she?_

Ana watches her own face appear on Seattle's news and she can see herself nervously swallow. "Um..hi…" she squeaks into the microphone.

"I'm Anastasia...I know you guys have seen some disturbing images of Christian, trust me, I know how scary those pictures can seem, but I want to testify here that this isn't Christian, that all of those girls have consented and Christian didn't hurt anyone, that the sadist you see is actually the most gentle, caring human being. What you see is only a fraction of the whole story." Ana's voice is getting more and more emotional, and the news broadcaster hands her a bottle of water which she graciously accepts before continuing. " Christian...was molested when he was fifteen, and that person who molested him is the same pedophile who tried to sell me to Christian. Christian and I have been together for four months now, and I swear, right here, that he has never hurt me, and he could have. He could have listened to Elena Lincoln and hurt me, like really hurt me, but he didn't. He gave me a home, security, love, acceptance, joy. I am here to bare witness today to defend Christian. I know what you saw can be hard to erase from your minds, but that isn't Christian. Elena is currently being taken to jail since we have evidence against her for hurting not only Christian, but other boys as well. I'm asking the people of Seattle and people everywhere around to give Christian a second chance."

Ana has tears coursing down her face when she finishes her short speech on TV and the news broadcaster takes the microphone. "Ok, as you have seen, more shocking news about Christian Grey. We'll be back after this short break."

Kate clicks off the TV and the room becomes dead silent. Grace's still sniffling and Christian is gaping at Ana.

 _She testified for him, on national television, to save his reputation..._

Slowly, Christian walks towards her, as if she were a small miracle and he couldn't believe that she was really here, and Ana lets out a teary giggle before falling into his embrace.

Carrick's face is crestfallen and shame overshadows his features. He gazes at Grace who's silently crying and Christian, his own son, who has a bruise on his cheek because of him.

Carrick doesn't know what to say. Never would he have guessed Christian was molested. Never had he known or stopped and paid attention.

Christian looks at Grace and gently lets go of Ana to embrace her.

"Don't cry, mama bear." He teases as Grace sobs into his shoulder, and he rubs her back, shushing her. "Shhh, don't worry, it was a long time ago and everything is ok now." He murmurs, kissing her hair which only makes Grace sob harder.

When Grace finally calms, Christian lets go of her and looks at his father, his role model since he was a little boy, the person whom he thought hung the moon, and softly smiles before opening his arms.

Carrick's hand clasps behind Christian's back as Christian hugs him. "Don't worry Dad. It's going to be alright." He whispers as Carrick pulls away, brushing his fingers against Christian's cheek, the part that's beginning to bruise.

"I'm sorry." He murmurs and Christian cracks a smile.

"Oh this, this is nothing." He says, touching his own bruise. "I figured I had that coming for a long time since I was a teen and stole all of your whiskey." Christian jokes as Carrick stares down at the floor.

 _When did Christian become so mature? He didn't deserve his forgiveness. He should've never hit him…_

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana waits for Christian to slide into their bed, and when he does, she turns around and wraps her arms around him, feeling Christian's sigh against her skin.

He has just sent Grace and Carrick home, and right now, he feels like an old man, the weight and worry of this world crushing him.

So much has happened today, the possibility of GEH crumbling, Carrick slapping him, enduring the betrayal Elena, having the whole world judge him…

Christian gazes into Ana's eyes, full of wonder and love, and he exhales a long breath as he rests his head in her lap, feeling her twirl and play with his hair.

In that moment, Christian realizes that he was human, that he was fallible, that he wasn't superman, that he couldn't take on this world by himself. He needed Ana. He needed to be able to seek refuge in her arms and draw strength from her embrace.

He needed to bask in her femininity, needed to be able to feel her skin press against his, for tomorrow, together, they will slay the dragons once again.

 **A/n-I hope you guys enjoyed this :) and I'll see you next week with hopefully a longer chapter.**

 **Much love, Xoxo, Lauren.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/n-Thank you for all of the lovely reviews. It truly does mean the world to me.**

 **All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 16-Dream**

Christian walks into GEH, gulping as the shiny, silver elevator doors slide open.

Christian has always loved GEH. It was _his_ company after all, and he paid sweat, blood, and tears for his success. He has never been afraid of GEH or cared what his employees thought of him. He was the badass CEO and the one handing out the payroll, so why the fuck should he care? He needed them to work, not to be his BFF.

But still, Christian couldn't quite shake the feeling of unease as he walked through the spotless, white halls. It's as if he could hear people's thoughts.

 _Fucking sadist._

Yes, he was a sadist, and Christian admitted wholeheartedly to the fact, but when you take and post that simple fact for the world to know, it changes thing a bit.

Ana had asked Christian to stay home, let things blow over a bit. Christian, however, refused. He wasn't a coward. He will face GEH and other people's criticism as well as their judgement.

Christian enters his office, swinging open the double wooden doors, and Ros appears before his eyes.

Looking at Ros, with her thick, black African American hair pulled back in a bun and strong jaw, Christian cringed and wished he would have taken Ana's advice. Ros was different from all the other employees. She was Christian's right hand man, or woman should he say. She took no bullshit from anyone and was the hardest worker he'd known. She has been through all the ups and downs of GEH and stuck with him.

 _What would she think now that she knew Christian's sexual preference?_

"Good morning Ros." Christian says, trying to hide his anxiety.

Ros glances up at him, her expression unchanging. "Good morning boss." She says, her usual smirk when she said the word boss still hung from her lips as she stacked several papers together and handed them to Christian. "Welch is working with the media, I have to say you got yourself quite a girl. Black coffee?" She inquires, as if it was just a regular Monday morning.

Christian uncomfortably shifts his weight on his feet as he rubs the inside of his thumb, a nervous habit. "Um…aren't you...you know...disturbed?" He stutters, something very un-Christian like.

At this, Ros looks up, her black eyes shining with mirth. "Christian." She says, her usual no-bullshit demeanor softening. "Of course I am disturbed, but not because you have a predilection for chains and whips, but because of what that pedophile did to you. Sure, GEH will suffer a bit from all the media attention, but it's nothing we can't handle. I am, however, mad that you didn't tell me about your girlfriend. Christian, you know we would all love to meet her. She sounds beautiful."

Christian shakes his head, a bit amused. Ros was always so resilient, nothing phased her.

"I'll let you meet Ana. In fact, she's coming in today, but don't get any ideas Ros. She's _mine_." Christian says, winking playfully, and Ros chuckles.

"I'm not making any promises there." Ros says, starting to walk out the door. "Press conference in 30 minutes, I had Welch contact all of your previous submissives. I want them all to give a statement to the media so GEH has more backup in case the news goes crazy."

Christian groans. A room full of his ex-submissives.

 _Just what he needed._

He hopes Ana gets here soon.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana gazes up at the monolith of concrete and glass. The word GEH is printed across the top in big, bold, grey letters.

Ana takes a deep breath and enters. She has only seen GEH once up close when Elena brought her here and she can't help but feel a little bit of intimidation.

 _So this is Christian's empire. What would his employees think of her?_

Ana walks in and is immediately greeted by a blonde receptionist with a bubbly smile who she recognizes as Andrea.

"Right this way Ms. Steele. Mr. Grey is in his office." Andrea says, gesturing towards the double wooden doors, and Ana smiles politely.

She lightly knocks before pushing open the heavy door and sees Christian. He's leaning back in his chair and scanning over several documents.

 _He seems so in control._

Christian looks up when he hears Ana enters, and it's only now that Ana can see the distress swimming behind his dark grey eyes.

"Baby, what's the matter?" Ana asks, coming to sit on his lap, and Christian nuzzles his nose in her hair, inhaling her feminine scent.

"I don't know...I think I'm paranoid...I feel like everyone is watching and judging me, well, except for Ros, but it's such a bad feeling…and now, all of my ex-submissives are coming to give a statement and Carrick is coming over later to help with legal stuff. I don't know what I'm feeling. Maybe I'm just nervous."

Ana lays her head on Christian's shoulder and gently strokes his back.

She wasn't thrilled about Christian needing to see his ex-submissives or Carrick coming over, but she understood he had to. She was just glad Christian told her.

"It will all be ok." She comforts, taking and squeezing Christian's hand as he exhales a long breath.

"I hope." He answers, closing his eyes and pinching his nose. "It's just...I don't know...I treated them all so...badly, and now, they are all willing to give a statement for me, and Carrick, he volunteered to be the lawyer for this shit…what did I do to deserve their forgiveness?"

Ana pulls Christian closer to her. It always breaks her heart when she hears how insecure Christian is. The belief that he is unlovable was so deeply ingrained in his head that it became nearly impossible to erase the traces of self doubt lost in his memory.

 _Why couldn't he see that he was lovable, beautiful, gorgeous, kind, brave, gentle, and worthy?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian gazes at the five faces before him.

Jessica, Katherine, Gabriella, Colleen, and finally Leila.

All of them had long, brown hair cascading down their back except for Jessica who recently got her hair cut.

Jessica flashes a kind smile at Ana who smiles back at her. This all started because Jessica got the pictures of Elena with Christian when he was fifteen and provided proof for the police.

"I want to thank you all for coming here. I am truly grateful that you guys all came forward and are willing to help me and GEH. In front of you is a document, it's the statement you guys will give be giving to the media. Please read it over and if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask me or Ana." Christian's loud voice rings through the conference room, and he wraps his arm around Ana who giggles.

This was going better than he thought. All of his ex-submissives seemed happy and from the new background check Welch ran on all of them, they all had new boyfriends or dominants, which meant they all moved on, and none of them seemed to be mad or jealous of Ana.

However, one thing bothered Christian.

 _Leila._

She sat quietly in the corner of the room, her hazel eyes were skittish and wide, full of fear as she stared at him. Her one wrist was bandaged, and her clothes, although they looked decent, were two sizes too big on her and covered her from head to toe.

Jessica gently touches her arm, wanting to say something, and Leila flinches so hard that it shocks both Christian and Ana as well as Jessica.

Christian furrows his eyebrows. Leila was always quiet and she had a history with depression, but this, this wasn't normal.

Leila reaches out for the pen laying on the table to sign the statement, and in the process of doing so, her sleeve rides up, revealing cuts and bruises down her arm.

Leila gasps as she realizes this and quickly pulls her sleeve back down, concealing her damaged skin, but it was already too late. Both Ana and Christian notice this and share a look with each other.

Finally, after an hour, all the statements were taken and Jessica gives Ana a quick hug before leaving which Ana happily received.

Christian watches as all of his ex-submissives begin to leave. Leila gives him a small smile, hiding tears behind her eyes, as she walks towards the double glass doors, and Christian stops her at the last minute.

"Leila." He calls.

Ana was beside him, and she offers Leila a warm smile. It was obvious that the girl had been hurt, and she wanted her to feel comfortable.

"Leila, can we talk to you?" Christian asks, referring to Ana and him as Leila's eyes widen.

"What is there to talk about?" Leila whispers, her voice shaky and soft. "You found love. I'm happy for you."

Ana smiles sadly at Leila. "Leila, we didn't call you to rub our relationship in your face. Can we talk upstairs?"

Leila's eyes dart between Ana and Christian before murmuring a small yes.

"Can I get you something to drink? Tea or coffee?" Christian asks when they enter his office as Leila gazes around. The sun was giving her a headache.

"Um...water's fine." She whispers quietly before carefully sitting down.

Christian takes note of her wince.

"Leila." Christian finally says after a few beats of silence. "You can tell us what's going on. Are you ok?" He asks as both Ana and Christian sit down across from her.

Leila gazes at them. Ana was beautiful with her sparkling blue eyes and rose stained cheeks. Christian was handsome with his messy copper hair and chiseled jaw.

 _They made a good pair._

 _She didn't belong with them._

"Nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine. I'm happy." Leila says, forcing a smile to make her lie more believable.

Christian gives her reprimanding look. A look Leila known all too well when she was his submissive.

"Leila." He sighs. "Don't bullshit me. I know that you are hurt. Let me see your arm."

Leila shrinks further in her seat, clutching her hand.

"N-nothing's wrong with me...I'm ok…" she stutters, pulling her sleeve over her fingers to conceal all of the cut marks.

 _If Jack found out she told them. He will punish her._

Ana speaks up "Leila, sweetie, we just want to help you. I promise we're not here to hurt you. Can you show me your hand, maybe I can get some antibiotics ointment or something, yeah?" She was talking as if she were addressing a small child, and Leila knew she couldn't fight them.

Reluctantly, she gives Ana her hand, and Christian gently rolls up her sleeve.

They both gasp at what they see. A thousand little cut marks mar her skin, each parallel to one another, creating a web of red incisions across her pale white skin.

At the bottom of her wrist carved the letters J. H. The cut was deep enough to leave a semi-permanent scar.

Christian's eyes widen. "You got into knife play?" He inquires. The letters JH obviously symbolized her Dom's initials. _How can he be so irresponsible, carving his initials near her wrist, what if he nicked her vain?_

Leila turns her head away. "Yeah." She whispers, unwelcomed tears springing to her eyes.

She never consented to knife play, but it was Jack's favorite.

Ana hands her a tissue, still talking in that kind, gentle voice. "Leila, sweetie, do you want to come to the restroom with me? Do you have any other scars?" She asks, and Leila nods, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

Ana gently leads Leila to the adjoining bathroom in Christian's office, and Leila lifts up her shirt.

Ana stifles her gasp. Her entire back is bruised and welted. There are more knife incisions as well as cane welts layering over one another and Ana can see each, individual vertebrae of her spine.

 _She couldn't possibly consent to this…_

"Leila." Ana whispers, sadness filling her voice. "Who are you with? Why did he do this to you?"

Leila shrugs. "I'm not like you. You're pretty." She whispers as Ana's heart sinks.

Slowly, Ana embraces Leila and feels her tears soak her shirt as Leila begins to sob.

"Ok, shhh...it's ok…I'm sure Christian has someone you can stay with. We can get you out of this…"

Concern mars Christian's face when Ana reappears from the bathroom with Leila clinging to her.

 _Fuck. Her condition was worse than he imagined. Was he responsible for this?_

"Leila." Christian says, leading her to the couch and helping her sit down. "Do you have someone I can help you call? Perhaps a family member or a friend?"

Leila sadly shakes her head. "I...don't have friends…" she whispers, shakily.

Christian sighs when he sees bright tears brim her eyes and runs his hand through his hair, trying to come up with a solution. _Who can Leila stay with? She surely can't stay with him and Ana._

Suddenly, it hits him. "I have someone you can stay with. His name is Sawyer. He's a respectable Dom. But don't worry, he won't touch you, I swear. I just think you need someone who is familiar with how to treat wounds, cuts, and so on. Are you still seeing your psychologist?"

Leila shakes her head again. "he...he wouldn't let me…"she murmurs, and Ana squeezes her hand.

"Can you tell us his name?" She asks, looking at Christian who nods.

 _He will be dead along with Steve when Taylor finds them…_

"Jack Hyde." She whispers.

Leila sits quietly on the couch in Christian's office, waiting for Sawyer. It took a bit of convincing on Christian's side, but she finally agreed to go with Sawyer. Fighting was useless.

 _She was too tired to fight._

Leila watches as Christian quietly talks to Ana, tapping her on the nose, as she giggles and she feels happiness swell in her. She realizes that she should be jealous, that she should hate Ana, but she was happy for Christian. Truly happy. He deserves someone like Ana. Someone strong and smart and caring and beautiful. Leila knew Ana was the one that would be able to erase his self doubts and wipe away his insecurities. She made him better.

There's a piece of paper and a pencil in front of Leila, and bored, she picks it up, beginning to draw.

An hour later, the elevator dings. A guy with mocha dark hair and chocolate brown eyes steps out. He was about 6 foot, and there was a twinkle in his eyes.

Christian smiles when he sees him and stands up, embracing him in a man hug and slapping him on the back before gesturing Leila over.

Leila scurries towards Christian's side and risks a peek at the guy who she presumed to be Sawyer.

He's wearing dark blue jeans as well as a white t-shirt, and Leila can smell his cologne, a mixture of wood and freshly mowed grass.

"Hi, I'm Sawyer." He says, sticking out his hand and Leila giggles as she takes it.

"I'm Leila." She whispers.

Sawyer notices the cut on her wrist and frowns to himself. She seemed like such a nice girl. She didn't deserve this. _Nobody did._

Ana watches as Leila giggles as she talks to Sawyer. She can tell he's being gentle and patient with her, and she gives Christian a big smile.

Christian turns and sees Ana smiling at him, and he smiles back at her, knowing he made the right decision.

Sawyer leaves with Leila after promising Christian he will take care of her, at least until she healed, and Ana watches as he gently places his palm on the small of her back as he accompanies her out.

It's not until now that Ana notices the picture Leila left on Christian's coffee table.

It's of her and Christian. She's cuddled next to him, with her head leaning on his shoulder, and Christian's tapping her nose, an adoring smile on his face.

The drawing was a simple sketch, nothing fancy, but it was carefully done. Ana can see all the details in the picture-Christian's left dimple, her loose, messy bun, the pattern on Christian's tie, her necklace.

Ana flips Leila's drawing over. On the back scribbled the words:

 _May you guys always be beautiful…_

XXXXXXXXXX

 **Carrick's gaze** is hard as he stares at Elena, sitting in an orange suit before him in the dark, damp cell, chained to the chair.

"Why." He demands.

He has provided evidence for the police immediately after he left Christian's place. He owes it to Christian to personally put Elena away after what he has done to his own son.

However, Carrick still had a couple of questions he needed the answers to. _Why Christian? Why did she choose his son? And why did she expose herself to the media? Surely, she knew releasing pictures of Christian's submissives will eventually lead to her downfall. What else did she have up her sleeve?_

"Why what?" Elena asks, raising an eyebrow. For some reason, she seemed too calm for this whole situation.

"Why Christian?" Carrick asks as Elena gives a bitter laugh.

"Oh Carrick." She mocks. "Don't be stupid. Christian was easy, I mean, you hardly paid him any attention, so naturally, I did." She says, her eyes squinting as she gives him a fake, sweet smile.

Carrick forces the lump past his throat. He knew Elena was trying to mess with his head, disturb him if you will, but her words stung.

They were true. He didn't pay Christian any attention. He failed as a father.

Christian has always been a very independent child. He pushed everyone away and kept a safe distance from society, but the sad thing is…

 _The sad thing is when he pushed them away, they didn't even try to stop him._

Carrick shakes his head. He must be strong. He must not let Elena see his weakness.

"Why did you expose those pictures?" He asks his second question and sees Elena's eyes flare with anger.

"Because Christian's mine." She sneers.

Carrick narrows his eyes. "Christian's his own person. He's not property."

Elena scoffs. "You really don't know about the lifestyle do you? BDSM is about control. Christian was under _my_ control. He gave me money for my salons and I provided him with his submissives." She hisses, yanking at the chain that cuffed her to the chair, and the security guards stiffen, ready to interrupt, but Carrick holds up a hand to stop them. He needed to hear the entirety of Elena's answer. "Christian was mine." Elena snarls. "He was mine until that little bitch came into his life."

"Ana?" Carrick questions.

"Yes. _Her_." Elena spits. "She took Christian away from me and I am going to destroy them. Christian's nothing without me, and now GEH can burn in hell with him. I'll make sure the world hates him, and when Ana's past throws up in her face, they will both go down." She hisses.

Carrick leans back, rubbing his chin. "So you leaked the pictures as a form of revenge? You didn't care if you were going to burn with them? Like a suicide run?" He asks, and Elena smiles.

 _Bingo_.

However, Carrick was not done, his calculating mind missing nothing. "What do you mean Ana's past will throw up in her face?"

Elena chuckles. "My Carrick, you really are stupid sometimes. Let me put it this way, there are people in Ana's past whom I am sure will love to have her again."

A cold sweat breaks across Carrick's back and neck when he sees the evil glint in Elena's glacial blue eyes with a corner of her mouth curved upwards.

Carrick stiffens his back, hardening his own gaze.

 _He must not let Elena win._

Standing up, he leans across the table, supporting himself on his two hands as he narrows his eyes.

"You can threaten Ana all you like, but I will make sure you get put away into the most vicious prison in the US, and I promise you, they do not look kindly upon pedophiles." Carrick says, his voice menacing and watches in satisfaction as Elena pales a little before slamming the metal door shut and walking out, leaving her to the prison guards.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana's head rests on Christian's chest and he smiles down at her, the faint trace of his left dimple appearing and his eyes twinkling, as he gently runs his fingers through her hair.

She was fast asleep, tired from the day's event, but Christian remains awake.

He listens quietly to her soft breathing, watching her chest rise up and down, and feels her steady heartbeat beneath his hand, and no longer able to fight the urge to sleep, he drifts off.

 _Christian's running in a field, the morning dew on the ground dampening his bare feet, and he's laughing. In front of him is a little girl and a little boy. The little girl has a mass of copper hair and bright, blue eyes. He scoops her up in his arms and she giggles, letting out a fit of laughter. The little boy also lifts up his arms, demanding to be held, and Christian scoops him up as well as he tickles them both, and soon, they all fall to the soft grass, rolling and laughing in a fit of giggles._

 _Finally, when their laughter dies down, Christian looks behind him. Ana's standing by a modern looking house with large, panel glass windows, and she has a loving smile on her face. She's rocking a newborn baby in her arms, and when Christian saunters towards her, she stands up on her tip toes and gives him a kiss. Christian realizes that she looks older, but even more beautiful. Her long brown hair tumbles down her back and she has creases near her eyes. Her lips are still soft as he kisses her…_

Christian slowly slides back into consciousness, feeling the morning sun stream through the windows, and gazes down.

Ana murmurs something in her sleep before rolling over and Christian briefly leans down and presses a soft kiss to her forehead. _Why did he have that dream? Were the little boy and little girl his children? Since when did he like kids?_

Christian hardly ever dreamt, and his dreams usually consisted of nightmares, but this dream…

 _This dream he wouldn't mind becoming a reality..._

 **A/N-Ok, so I know you guys probably didn't like me including Leila in the story, so I feel like I have to explain myself lol. I know Leila in the original FSOG is seen as a villain, naturally, because she tried to shoot Ana, but I promise the Leila in my story isn't that psychotic, jealous, revengeful ex-submissive. She's a victim of abuse, and the reason I included her is because I want to prove that Christian is not sadistic and is caring (despite what he might think himself) But anyway, thank you for indulging me for a little bit...I promise that's all I have of her.**

 **Second thing is I am going on vacation for 10 days, so I won't be able to update next week, but I promise I will the week after that.**

 **Sorry for this long a/n, but I'll see you guys in two weeks, and hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will be long as well since I'm not updating for a little while.**

 **Much love, Xoxo, Lauren.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/n-Ok, so I'm back from my vacation (Which was really fun), but I'm happy to return to fandom ;) I just want to say here Thank you for all of the beautiful reviews. I'm so sorry, but I only had time to reply to a very few of them since I just got back yesterday and wrote this whole chapter in two days lol, but I will try to slowly respond to all of them, they are all very much appreciated.**

 **A note about Leila in the last chapter, several of you have requested either through reviews or PMs that you would like to see more of her and Swayer, so when I update the next chapter (probably in a week), I will post an extra chapter solely about her and Sawyer (it will probably be short, 2k-3k words) This way, if you want to read it, great, if you don't, no feelings hurt.**

 **Finally, onward with the new chapter! All mistakes are mine~**

 **Chapter 17-Love, The Uncontrolled Variable**

"Taylor! Find me everything you can on the connection between Steve Morton and Elena." Christian demands, walking in his office, and Taylor watches as his boss pours himself a glass of bourbon.

"Sir..." Taylor responds, a bit confused.

Ever since Ana told Christian about Steve, Taylor and a private group of investigators have been trying to find the bastard. They searched all the foster care system, credit cards, fake IDs. drug lords, prostitutes, but every time, they came out empty handed. It's as if Morton has disappeared from the face of the earth.

"Carrick just told me that Elena threatened Ana with her past." Christian explains, downing his drink as he pinches the bridge of his nose. "How can I be so fucking blind? Was it really just a coincidence that Ana ran into Elena's salon that night? Think about it, a brunette girl runs into a store at midnight being chased by a gang. Which store is opened at midnight? Because I know Esclava closes at 9 for a fact, and she just so happens to run into a store with a Mistress looking for a brunette girl to sell to me because at the time Esclava was going bankrupt? It was fucking planned." Christian mutters to himself, and Taylor can see the wheels turning in his boss's head as he starts combing through the facts.

"And the trick of this story is Elena thought I wouldn't fall in love with Ana, and she split that money with Steve. Don't you think it's funny how Steve never came looking for Ana?"

Taylor internally kicks himself for not thinking of this.

Christian downs another glass, contemplating. "The question is, now that Elena's in jail, what does Steve want? He might want money, or worse…"

 _Ana._

"I'll hire extra security." Taylor says without being told and Christian nods.

"Yes, but there's something else. Something is missing from this puzzle…" Christian mumbles, drawing his eyebrows together and staring hard into the distance.

"Why did Elena release those pictures? Carrick's right, she must have known that they would eventually lead to her. Did she do it out of sheer revenge? Or is it something bigger?" Christian says, and Taylor starts calculating as well, thinking through all the details, questions, data.

 _What does Elena want? Think Taylor, think! Why release the pictures? How can the pictures help her?_

Suddenly, it becomes clear as day.

"She wanted chaos." Taylor says, the wheels in his brain still turning, each coil winding and unwinding. "By exposing those pictures, she created chaos, chaos for you, for GEH, for your family...she knows that no matter what we do, there will be companies that want to pull out of GEH and the media will go crazy with you and your family, but the problem is that she must have some way of controlling the situation behind bars, my guess is that Steve has alliances in prison who will be willing to help her. They might plan an attack, and Steve might also know a prison guard who promised to let Elena out for a little cash, you never know, people in prison usually know their way, especially if they have cash." Taylor starts to speak his thoughts out loud, and Christian knew he hit the bulls-eye.

"Ok, Taylor." Christian says, standing up and going into full CEO mode. "This is what I want you to do. I'm going to call a jet, and I'm going to take Ana out of the country. I don't know where, I'll let her choose the destination. And I want you to prepare a second jet, Mia and Elliot are currently in France so they're safe, but I want you to take Carrick, Grace, Gail, Sophie, anyone dear to you who you might think Steve can attack, and bring Ros as well, tell her to bring Glenn too, and get Welch, GEH will have to suffer a bit, but I trust the employees I have left, and hire at least 30 security guards. You guys can go anywhere as long as it's not in the states, make sure everyone's safe, and I want a new team of investigators to stay here and work in Seattle to catch Steve. I want him dead before I come back. I don't care what favors you have to pull, or what price it costs. Understood?" Christian asks, finally looking up when he stops pacing.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian finds Ana in the kitchen, flipping pancakes, her hair tied up in a messy bun and wearing his t-shirt, and he is reminded, once again, of just how precious she is to him.

"Good morning, _sir_." She teases when she looks back and catches Christian leaning against the counter, a finger placed over his lip, concealing his smirk.

Christian grins, slowly sauntering over before wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his chin on her head as she giggles. "Do you want to get a away for a little while?" He asks, silently begging and praying that she will say yes.

 _This way, she'll be out of the country, out of harm's way._

Christian didn't particularly enjoy lying to Ana, but he needed to protect her. Protect her from Steve, and plus, lying and protecting were hardly the same thing.

Ana looks up, cocking her head to the side and gazing into Christian's flinty, guarded grey eyes, remaining in his embrace. "Don't you need to stay in GEH, especially after the media outbreak?" She asks, drawing her eyebrows together.

Christian chuckles, effectively covering up his unease. "No, Ros and Andrea are more than capable of handling everything."

Ana's eyebrows furrow more, still looking unconvinced. "Ok, I guess we can, I mean, I would go anywhere with you, but why so sudden?" She inquires, and Christian can't help but be impressed.

 _His girl is so observant and smart…_

But of course, he conceals his feelings.

"Baby, a lot has happened and with all the news blasting our pictures every chance they get, it's been stressful. I just want to take my beautiful girlfriend to some exotic destination and get away from reality for a bit." Christian says, mentally berating himself for lying, but relaxes when he sees Ana smile, knowing that he had her.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Christian, why do we have five security guards following us?" Ana asks as they board Christian's private jet to Paris.

Christian frowns. _Was the extra security really that noticeable? Didn't he tell them to dress like crew members? Why did they all wear black and sunglasses? Were they fucking stupid? Well, the original plan of having them secretly follow Ana is obviously not going to work anymore. Onto plan B._

"Baby" Christian says, tucking a strand of fallen hair behind her ear. "We are going to another country, we don't know the area or the people there, I just want to be safe." He smoothly lies as Ana raises a skeptical eyebrow.

"Uh-huh." She mutters, unconvinced, but thankfully, drops the matter and Christian blows out a sigh of relief.

 _She has you by the balls, Grey._

Ana and Christian are in Paris shopping when Christian's phone rings for the fifth time that morning.

"Sorry babe, I have to get this." Christian says, picking up his phone and motioning for one of the security guards, Reynold, to watch Ana as he picks up his phone and walks towards the opposite side of the store.

Ana huffs as she watches Christian. They were in Paris shopping, and to be honest, Ana could care less about Dior, Chanel, Mac, Mary Kay, Gucci, LV, Prada, and Guess (you get the idea).

She wanted to wander around the streets and listen to street musicians, she wanted to taste local restaurants and poke her head into souvenir shops, she wanted to see Paris with her boyfriend, but now, he's too busy on his phone.

Ana gets that Christian's busy, she really does, and she would never ask Christian to give up work, but he's the one that said they should get away.

She turns to look at the five security guards following them and crinkles her nose. She doesn't understand why, all of the sudden, security became so important. Christian's a big freak about safety, but this, this is too much.

Even for a megalomaniac CEO.

Ana looks at Christian still talking on the phone, his eyebrows are drawn and he's talking in a hushed voice. He looks concerned and worried, but when he looks up he smiles, making Ana melt even though she's upset with him.

"Who was that?" Ana asks when Christian finally hangs up and wraps an arm around her as they walk outside into the warm autumn breeze.

"Oh, just something with work." Christian brushes her off, and Ana frowns.

 _Christian is hiding something…_

Ana is sure of it. He never had this much security, and he usually answered his calls in front of her. He also seemed on edge, responding to her questions in vague answers, and now that she thought about it, he was so anxious to get out of Seattle.

"Christian?" Ana asks, interlacing their fingers. "Is everything ok?"

Christian frowns, knitting together his eyebrows. "Yes, why? Is something wrong?" He inquires, stopping to stare at her.

Ana shrugs. "It's just, I feel like you are hiding something. You haven't been talking to me, and now there's all this security."

Christian sighs, running both his hands through his hair. "Ana, _baby_." He says, squeezing her shoulders. "I already told you, I'm just stressed, and the security, it's only because we're in another country. Can we not have this discussion again?"

Ana and Christian explore Paris some more although the atmosphere between them has definitely changed, and now they are eating dinner on top of a patio, the silence between them growing as the lights of the city illuminated the background behind them, and Christian's phone sounds for the hundredth time.

He glances as Ana, knowing that she's annoyed, but Taylor's contact appears across his screen, telling him it's an urgent matter.

"Taylor." Christian picks up the phone, flashing Ana a guilty smile as he excuses himself from the table, ignoring Ana's glare.

This time, Ana doesn't refrain herself from rolling her eyes, and she decides that she will scroll through her own phone since Christian had no regards for her feelings.

 _GEH has temporarily stopped purchasing companies._

Ana abruptly stops when she reads the headline of Seattle's Time.

 _Christian Grey, CEO of Grey enterprise, has released a statement two days ago saying that GEH has temporarily stopped all operations in light of the media outbreak that happened merely a week ago when the knowledge that he was molested at the age of 15 went viral. Now the company COO, Ros Bailey, as well as other important members have also stopped temporarily working, and the company is left in the hands of less important employees. Why this is we still don't know, but GEH will continue normal operations once Mr. Grey returns from his vacation in France with his newly announced girlfriend, Anastasia Steele._

Christian come and sits back down, taking a gulp of wine. _How is it possible that they still can't find Steve?_

However, Ana's practically seething.

 _Why didn't Christian tell her about GEH? What is he hiding?_

She tosses her phone in front of Christian. "What the fuck is this?" She demands, her voice cold.

Christian startles up at her. Ana has never talked to him in such a harsh way, and she definitely wasn't one to make a scene, especially in public.

Frowning, he looks at her phone and immediately know that he's in trouble.

"Ana." He begs, looking up into her angry, blue eyes, but she holds up a hand.

"No, you know what Christian? If you don't want to talk to me that's fine. I'm done with playing stupid and acting like everything's ok." She hisses, standing up and throwing her napkin on the chair before marching out.

Ana feels hot, angry tears sting her eyes as she marches down the street leading away from their hotel.

 _Why didn't Christian trust her enough to tell her?_

"Ana!" She hears Christian shout behind her but she keeps on walking, quickening her pace and wrapping her arms around her.

Ana knows full well that she's acting childish, but Christian's been ignoring her and acting like an adolescent all week, diverting her attention and brushing her off every time something came up, keeping her in the dark and pretending like she was a kid who didn't know any better. Well, she'll show him childish.

"Damn it Ana! Talk to me!" She hears Christian shout again and starts running.

She doesn't know where she's going, she just knows she wants to get away.

Soon, footsteps pound behind her and Christian grabs her by the arm. He's much too fast.

"Ana! Hey." He says, grasping her firmly but she yanks her hand out of his grip and continues walking.

"I don't want to talk to you Christian."

"Ana, don't make me carry you." Christian warns, still following behind her.

"No!" Ana hisses, spinning around. "Tell your inner Dom to go away! I don't need him or you right now." She spits.

Christian mutters something under his breath, and suddenly, swoops down, clasps his hand around Ana's thighs, and swings her over his shoulder.

"Christian!" Ana screeches, pounding her fists against his back, but all she earned was a firm swat to her backside.

"Sorry, sweetheart." Christian almost chuckles. "I warned you."

"Christian! Put me down!" Ana continues to struggle but Christian seems immune to her tantrum as he starts down the sidewalk.

"I'm not letting you go till you calm." He says, and Ana knows she can't fight him.

Gradually, she stops thrashing and glares at Christian when he gently sets her down, keeping his hold on her in case she bolts again.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ana can't keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"Well." Christian racks his free hand through his hair. "You're mad at me, and I don't like that."

Ana rolls her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock."

"What can I do to make this right?"

Ana raises an incredulous brow. "You can tell me what's going on. Christian, you haven't been talking to me." Christian can see Ana's anger start to wane as fresh tears well in her eyes.

Tentatively, he raises a hand, asking for permission, before gently brushing his thumb along her cheek and collecting the moisture from her eye.

" _Baby."_ He pleads, pulling her into his embrace. "I'm sorry, but somethings are better for me to know. I want to protect you." Christian tells her honestly.

Ana sniffles. "But I need to know. I hate that you carry all of the burden by yourself, and as much as I admire you for that, I need to be with you. We are a _team_ , and I need to know things, good or bad. I know you want to protect me, and I love you, but I also need to be able to protect myself, protect _us_ , and the only way I can do that is if I'm _with_ you."

Christian sighs, his expression dark, and he seems to be contemplating something as he rubs small circles on Ana's back and kisses her forehead, keeping her in his arms.

Finally, he says softly. "I'll tell you in the hotel, ok?"

Ana relents and relaxes in Christian's hold but continues to pout.

Smiling, Christian leans down and presses a tender kiss to Ana's lips. "Don't pout." He chides. "Pouting is for children, and children get spankings."

Ana smacks him on the arm. "Hey, I'm not a child." She protests, although she can tell he's joking by the twinkle in his eye.

XXXXXXXXXX

On the way home, Christian keeps on dipping his head and kissing Ana's neck, his teeth skinning over her sensitive spot, right behind her ear, as his fingers ghost over her thighs and caress her waist, occasionally giving it a light squeeze.

"I know what you're doing." Ana mutters, glad that the darkening night is able to conceal her blush.

"Hmmm…" Christian hums, neither agreeing nor denying.

"You can't distract me with sex, Christian. You promised me we would talk." Ana huffs, lightly pushing him away but Christian just chuckles and tightens his hold.

"Oh, am I distracting you?" He gives her a dazzling, innocent smile.

"You know full well what you're doing." Ana murmurs, her breath hitching when she feels Christian's hand slip underneath her skirt and into her panties as they enter the elevator of the hotel.

"Hmmm, is it working?" Christian whispers, his voice soft and low, as his other hand snakes around her waist and pulls her close to him, flexing his hip, and Ana can feel his erection press against her already dampening sex.

"No, Christian." Ana wiggles out of his grip, forcing herself to physically distance him so her traitorous body wouldn't betray her. "You promised me we would talk."

Sighing, Christian realizes that he can't avoid the topic forever and slides the hotel card, opening the door.

"Ok, but can I at least hold you?"

Ana snuggles next to Christian on the king sized bed in their hotel suite, and he rests his chin on her head as their fingers intertwine.

"You know how I've been trying to find Morton?" Christian asks softly, and Ana stiffens.

She has almost forgotten about him. Christian's been so good, and so gentle with her that she felt the scars from her haunted past has started to fade, as if they were never there, but hearing his name made it all too real, and Ana can feel the panic attack lurking inside of her, ready to pounce, and her body begins to tremble.

Christian enfolds Ana closer, his warm body heat easing away her little shivers.

 _This is why he didn't want to tell her…_

"What do you plan on doing, you know, once you find him?" Ana finally asks after her breathing has calmed a little.

Christian raises a silent eyebrow, wordlessly answering her question, and Ana understood his intention.

 _He was going to kill him…_

"What now?" Ana whispers, her voice still shaky and soft as Christian exhales a long breath.

"Well, we think there's a connection between Elena and Steve."

Ana stiffens again, but Christian keeps her in his embrace, squeezing her hand and coaxing her to relax.

"We don't know for sure, but they might be planning some sort of an attack. Taylor's working on it."

Hot tears well and spill over Ana's eyes. "Christian." She croaks. "I didn't want to get you into all of this." And her bottom lip quivers.

Christian rubs his hand along the length of her back, stroking her hair. "No, sweetheart, don't say that. I want to do this with you. We just need to stay here in France until Taylor catches him."

"How...how did Elena know Steve?"

Christian tenses briefly and tightens his hold on Ana.

 _How could he tell her that their relationship was planned all along?_

The sun outside has completely set now, and Ana leans against Christian's chest, brushing her thumb over his knuckles.

After a few beats, Christian finally answers. "I don't know."

"But you have a guess right?"

Christian continues to stroke her hair. "Yes, I have a guess. E-Elena planned for us to meet."

"What? How?"

Christian sighs, burying his nose into her soft, brown curls.

"We were destined to cross paths." He murmurs. "My guess is Elena somehow knew Steve, and they made some sort of a plan to drive you into Esclava. It was late at night when you ran into Esclava right?"

Ana solemnly nods her head.

"And are beauty salons open late at night?"

A sob broke through Ana's body. "So o-our whole relationship was an a-arrangement?" She croaks, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"Yes." Christian swallows, pushing the lump past his throat. "But it's s-still valid." He softly protests, as if a little boy unwilling to believe that Santa Claus wasn't real.

Ana can hear the panic in his voice, she can feel his anxiety, his irrational fear that their love was going to dissipate into thin air simply because Elena had set them up.

"Christian." She says, lacing their fingers together and snuggling deeper in his embrace. "I love you, and nothing's going to change that."

Christian blows out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding as he hugs Ana tighter and plants two kisses along her hairline.

"I love you too, more than you know, but we still need to stay in Paris, at least until it's safe to go back, ok? Mia and Elliot are here also, although Mia's spending most of her time shopping." Christian jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

"So that is why you wanted to go on vacation so bad." Ana giggles-laughs.

She can trace Christian's smile in the dark room as he lightly kisses her head.

"Yes, baby, that is why."

"Sorry I was acting like a child."

Christian chuckles, the deep sound vibrating in his lungs, as he pulls her closer against him. "That's quite alright, I'm sorry that I wasn't talking to you."

"You know." Ana says, gazing up into Christian's sparkling, grey eyes. "Elena didn't control us. True, she planned for us to meet, and she took every factor into account , down to the exact time I would run into Esclava, but the one thing she forgot about was love. She can control everything else, but she can't control love. Nobody can, and I fell in love with you, _hard_."

Christian wraps his arms around Ana, his biceps tightening around her as he falls back on the bed, bringing her with him and nuzzling his nose in her hair. "I fell in love too." He whispers, as if a quiet confession, wondering how this innocent, mythical, beautiful, beguiling creature wove her way into his walled up heart.

But perhaps that's love, Christian muses to himself, the uncontrolled variable, the thing that makes us feel and do impossible things.

"Marry me." The words are out of his mouth before he could stop them.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/n-I know I said this before, but I really do have the best group of readers. I can't tell you how much all of your reviews mean to me, so thank you for all of the love and support ;)**

 **Also, In the last chapter, I made a mistake with the list of people Christian wanted to protect, I totally forgot to add Paul (Ana's foster brother) to the list, which is 100% my fault, so apologies.**

 **Chapter 18-Marry Me**

"Marry me" the words are out of Christian's mouth before he could stop them, and Ana's blue eyes widen.

"What?" Is all she could think of to say.

Christian's lips twitch up seeing Ana so shocked. To be honest, he didn't even fully comprehend the gravity of the question, but as he spoke the words out loud, he realized that this, _this_ is what he wanted.

He wanted to wake up every morning next to her and hear her beautiful giggle, he wanted to take her to every party and ball out there or simply stay home and watch Netflix, he wanted to worship her body and be the man she needs, he wanted to lay the world down at her feet, he wanted to make her the center of his universe, now and always.

He wanted her to be the sun, and he could be the moon or earth, just one of the many planets orbiting around her because that's what she is. She is the sun, and before her, his universe was full of eternal darkness, one of the black holes, but with her besides him, a blazing ball of sunlight and warmth, she has rescued him from the darkness of his heart, melted away the stone cold walls of his soul.

Christian leans over and plants a tender kiss on Ana's lips. "You heard me, marry me, be mine." He whispers, tugging Ana closer in his embrace.

Ana rests her head in the crook of his neck, her fingers placed over his heart, and she can feel it's frantic rhythm beating.

Of course she would marry him. Christian was the center of _her_ universe. She remembers how scared she was when Elena first commanded her to kneel before him at GEH. She was expecting a sadist, she expected him to slap her, but the only thing Christian did that day was wipe her tears and dry her eyes.

He became the most gentle, most kind, most amazing human being to her. He taught her not to be afraid, he taught her how to trust.

Ana smiles a little when she thinks about the first time they had sex, in Barcelona, how loving he was to her. She never felt loved or protected before, but with Christian, she always got this sense of security, this sense of protection and cherishment.

Ana gazes up at Christian's devastatingly handsome face and smiles.

"Of course." She chokes, tears brimming her bright blue eyes.

"Of course I'll marry you."

And suddenly, she's being pulled up and smothered in Christian's arms, a mess of giggles and limbs.

"You will?" Disbelief fills his voice.

"Yes." Ana chokes again, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh Anastasia, you just made me the luckiest bastard alive." Christian growls, nuzzling his nose in her hair, completely elated with joy, as he gently thumbs away a few of her tears, and then he's kissing her, his tongue seeking hers as their breath mingle and he presses their body so tightly together that even time couldn't escape.

Ana's hand tangle in Christian's hair, drinking in his kiss as if she's been dying of thirst, and she feels herself being lowered onto the bed as she kicks off her shorts and panties, a slow grin spreading across Christian's face.

"Hmmm, is this for me?" He whispers, dipping two fingers into her already drenched sex as Ana gasps.

"Yes…"

"Are you ready for me baby?" Christian asks, his voice husky and low as he first sucks on one nipple, then the other, swirling his tongue around each sensitive bud as Ana's body burns with need, the knot tightening in her stomach.

"Please...Christian…."

"Say it, say that you're mine."

"I'm yours…"

And with that, he rolls into her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian has his arm wrapped around Ana, the warm autumn breeze tangling her hair, as they stroll down a quiet sidewalk.

There's a little boy, probably around 6, skipping before them. "Maman! Papa!" He calls to his parents, and his father smiles down at him before scooping him up in his arms and tossing him in the air as the little boy shrieks with laughter.

Ana and Christian smile at each other, regarding the cute family, and Christian pulls Ana closer to him.

"What do you think about kids?" He asks, out of the blue, and Ana's eyes widen.

"Kids?"

"hmmm."

"Um…." Ana stutters, she hasn't given much thought about kids. She knew she always wanted kids, but given her past, she never thought it was possible. She never thought she would've found someone she loved, much less now a husband. "I...I...haven't thought much about it...but I guess. I mean, do you want kids?"

Christian furrows his eyebrows. "I haven't thought much about it either." He admits, rubbing his chin. "But a week ago, I had this dream, a good dream. You were in it, and we had two kids, a little girl and a little boy. I remember waking up from that dream really happy, but I know it's too soon, and this is certainly not the right time, given Morton and Elena, but I guess I'm saying I would eventually like kids, maybe? What do you think?"

Ana rests her head against Christian's shoulder. "Oh Christian." she murmurs. "Yes, I want kids also, of course I do, but can we just go with the flow? I mean, you only proposed yesterday."

Christian grins, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively "Go with the flow?" he inquires, a wicked gleam alight in his eyes, as Ana rolls her eyes.

"You're incorrigible."

Christian was just going to come back with another cheesy comment when his phone rings, and he groans.

"Taylor." he says, picking up, and Ana's breath hitches as she waits for Christian to answer. _Did they find something? Anything?_

"Yes...I see….yes, thank you Taylor." Christian responds, relief evident in his face as he hangs up.

Before Ana can even ask, Christian answers. "Morton's dead."

Ana involuntarily takes a step back, and her eyes widen as she freezes. Her head swirls, so many emotions twirling around her, relief, shock, fear.

Vaguely, Ana's aware of Christian placing his hands around her so she wouldn't fall as he leads her to the park bench.

"H-how?" Ana asks, and Christian smiles slightly, still keeping his arms around her as he brushes his thumb over her wrist.

"Just as we suspected, he was hiding with Elena." Christian replies, pausing to collect himself. _He can't believe Elena fooled him all this time._ "Supposedly, she was running an underground bdsm club that even I didn't know about. For a long time, we couldn't find him or any traces of his tracks. That's when Taylor proposed an idea, the report you read about GEH, do you remember how it exposed our position, saying we were in Paris?"

Ana nods. _How did this have to do with anything?_

"Well, Taylor suspected that if they knew our location, they will naturally try to come to Paris, so he hired a whole group of security guards to keep an eye on the border and all of the airports, and sure enough, Morton tried to buy a ticket to Paris."

"So...Taylor...killed him?" Ana asks again, still a little bit shaky, but as her breathing started to calm, her fear and anxiety also begined to slip away.

 _Morton's dead. He can't hurt her anymore. She's safe. Christian's safe…_

At this, Christian smirks. "Yes, Taylor killed him. As for how, well, I'll leave that to your imagination. All I'm going to say is that Taylor can be pretty creative."

The chilly fall wind made a shiver run through Ana's body, and she snuggles closer to Christian who plants several kisses along her hairline. "You're safe baby. You don't have to be afraid anymore. He's gone, and I'm right here. I'll always be here."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana pouts to herself. She knew she shouldn't be pouting, but she can't help it. Christian said he had some important work to do, and what he could he be doing in Paris was beyond her, but nevertheless, she agreed to go to the spa while Christian took care of some business.

"Bonjour mademoiselle" The spa receptionist greets as Ana walks in, the smell of lavender assaulting her nostrils, as she leads her into a dimly lit room with two beds, towels, and oils.

A hour and a half later, after her facial and massage, the spa receptionist brings Ana into another room, but this time, the room was brightly lit and there was a full make-up stand in the middle.

"Um...I'm sorry. I thought I was only here for a facial and a massage." Ana says, a bit confused as she looks around but the spa receptionist only offers her a kind smile.

"Mademoiselle, Mr. Grey has also requested you get your hair and makeup done. Please, sit."

Reluctantly, Ana sits.

As Ana leaves the spa and enters their hotel room, she's still confused. As far as she knew, they didn't have to attend some fancy ball or gathering in Paris, so why the updo?

"Christian?" Ana calls, but there isn't any response.

"Christian?" She calls again, checking the bathroom and kitchen, but again, nothing.

"Where did he go?" She mumbles more or less to herself as she walks into their bedroom and gasps. An elegant, black, floor-length gown is artfully draped in the middle of the king sized bed and on top of it is a note.

 _Put this on and meet me downstairs_

 _Love, Christian._

Ana stares at herself in the mirror. She barely recognizes the person before her. It's as if she's been transformed into a goddess. Her dress hangs effortlessly over her curves with a sparkling, deep neckline and her skin is glowing while her hair tumbles down her back in soft curls, her eyebrows are tweezed and waxed, and she blinks through her thick lashes.

Taking a deep breath, Ana grabs her clutch and heads out. She almost starts crying when she sees Christian.

He's standing by a black limousine, bow tie in place, and in one of his hand is bouquet of roses.

"Good evening, gorgeous." He greets, flashing her his megawatt smile as he takes a step back and opens the car door.

"Christian, what's all this for?" Ana giggles-cry, looking around, as Christian slides into the driver's seat.

"You'll see." he winks.

Ana keeps on risking sneak peeks at Christian throughout the drive. He's wearing his famous, half enigmatic smile, as if he's hiding a surprise.

"Christian, please, just tell me, where are we going?" Ana asks when Christian pulls up to the eiffel tower, but her voice is full of wonder as she gazes around.

"Isn't a fiance allowed to take his lovely fiancee to dinner?" Christian asks, grey eyes crinkling as he parks the car and holds the door open.

Tears well in Ana's eyes but she quickly blinks them away as they ride the elevator up to the second floor restaurant _Le Jules Verne._ They are the only people in the entire place and candle lights flicker in the background while streetlights from the city glimmer outside.

The server comes with their meal, a bottle of rose and Coquilles Saint-Jacques, as Christian pours two glasses of wine.

"In France, there's no legal drinking age, so for once, you're actually allowed to drink." Christian teases, the corners of his lips twitching up as Ana giggles some more.

 _Her man really thinks of everything…_

Time has decided to stop as Ana stares into Christian's dreamy grey eyes as the night continues to slip away. The server has made himself scarce, leaving them in each other's presence and the tranquil atmosphere.

"I think fireworks are beginning soon, Come." Christian says, extending his hand and placing it on the small of Ana's back as he leads her to the window, and they both watch in childlike fascination as the fabulous lights ignite the sky, exploding into the air like a thousand fire flies dancing and twirling about.

Suddenly, the words _Marry Me_ illuminate the night sky, the silver letters twinkling in the dark night before slowly fading away.

"Christian…" Ana gasps, covering her mouth with her hands as she spins around.

Christian's down on one knee, in his hand is a black velvet box with a thin, rose-gold engagement ring encrusted with a sparkling diamond.

"Ana, I know you already said yes, but I still wanted to make it special for you..." Christian begins, and Ana can tell he's trying to keep his emotions in check as tears spill from her eyes.

"Ana, you know I never believed in love before...and I certainly didn't expect love to find me, but love showed up at my office door, scared and with tears running down her face." Christian starts, pausing to collect himself. " I didn't know love was you at first, but you, you with your infectious giggle and beautiful smile, you with your witty sense of humor, you with your extreme stubbornness, you with your innocence, you with your scars and giggles and beauty and perfection have made love. You tell me I'm worth it even when I don't want to hear it. You helped me chase away all of my demons, you loved me even when I didn't believe in love myself, and I know I don't tell you enough, but I love you, more than life itself, you are the last dream of my soul, so Anastasia Rose Steele, will you marry me?"

At this point, Ana's full on sobbing. "yes." Is all she can get out as Christian slips the ring onto her slender finger and envelope her in his warm embrace as he gently thumbs away her tears.

"You're ruining your mascara." Christian lightly jokes, taking out his handkerchief and dabbing away the black smudges from the corners of her eyes.

And when Ana reaches up and cradles Christian's face between her hands, she can feel the wetness on his cheeks before standing on her tip-toes and gently kissing him.

 **What did you guys think of the proposal? (I know it was a little cheesy, but I think every girl wants that one moment when her guy gets down on one knee lol) I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but next update will be a lot longer ;)**

 **The next chapter I posted today is a little, short clip about Leila and Sawyer. I know some people want to read it, and some don't, it's completely up to you ;)**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Leila and Sawyer**

Leila's curled up on Sawyer's bed in the guest bedroom. She can still feel little shivers rolling through her body, and she curls herself up even smaller.

Sawyer has been super sweet to her, asking if she needed anything and offering to make dinner. Christian has been super sweet as well, calling Sawyer to take care of her. Leila was never interested in Christian more than a Dom, but he was always very nice to her.

Leila looks down at her wrist and Jack's initials carved into her skin as hot tears sting her eyes. He was probably furious and looking for her. Leila wondered what she'd do if Sawyer kicked her out. _Who would she go to?_

There's a soft knock on her door, and Sawyer enters carrying a tray. His face immediately changes into one of concern when he sees Leila, curled up in fetal position with silent tears running down her face.

"Hi…" He murmurs, not really sure what else to say as he kneels before Leila, setting down the tray. "I brought you some soup, do you think you can manage some food?"

Leila can't help it as her lips twitch up. _Why were Doms so weird about food?_

"I think I can eat a little…" she sniffles which earns her a big smile from Sawyer.

"Yeah?" He asks, hopeful. "I made chicken noodle soup."

Leila winces as she sits up, and Sawyer blows on the soup, cooling it down, his heart aching when he sees how much pain she's in.

 _Who did this?_

Leila hesitantly sips her soup as Sawyer gives her an encouraging nod. The soup tastes so warm and good and the feeling is foreign that it makes her start crying again.

Sawyer regards her with sad, blue eyes and gently strokes her knees, hoping to calm her down. He knew she was in a fragile state and he didn't want to spook her by rubbing her back, where she had cut marks and cane welts.

"Shhh...Shhh...You're ok...You're safe now…" he calms, leaning over, and without touching her, plants a kiss on her forehead.

Sawyer couldn't help it. She looked so small and hurt and vulnerable that all he wanted to do was wrap her up in his arms and protect her.

"Why are...you...so...nice to me?" Leila sniffs. "Did Christian pay...y-you?"

Sawyer frowns, and he could no longer resist the urge of gently pulling her into his arms. "No, no, sweetie, Christian only called me to ask me if I could look after you for a while, but he didn't pay me, ok? I'm doing this because I care about you, and I know what it's like to be afraid, ok? I was in a bad relationship once as well."

"You were?" Leila chokes, her body still shaking from her sobs as Sawyer squeezes her hand.

"Yes, sweetie, I was. I was her sub." Sawyer answers and Leila smears some of her tears away with the back of her hands.

"I'm sorry…" she sniffs as Sawyer kindly smiles.

"Nothing to be sorry about. It was in the past, all I'm saying is that I know how you feel, but I don't want you to worry about that now, do you think you can drink some more soup for me?"

Leila obediently drinks the rest of the soup and Sawyer also gives her two Advils.

"Um...I also have alcohol wipes and arnica cream…" Sawyer begins. Since he was a Dom, and a sub before that, he was pretty accustomed to treating bruises, welts, cuts and what not.

Leila nods and takes off her shirt. She trusted Sawyer.

Sawyer's heart nearly scrunches up and dies when he sees her back.

 _Fuck, this is worse than he expected._

"Um...sweetie, this is going to sting a little. I'm sorry, if it gets bad just let me know, ok?" Sawyer asks.

Gently, tenderly, Sawyer begins to clean all of the little cut marks on her back and some of the open welts. He stops when he hears her hiss.

"Are you ok?" he asks, reaching out to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, I'm sorry." Leila hiccups and Sawyer kisses her hair.

"I'm almost done, you're doing so well, ok?"

Leila hated to admit it, but that little praise, that little phrase of _you're doing so well,_ made her heart swell with joy. She can't remember the last time someone has praised or complimented her.

"There, all done." Sawyer declares a minute later, carefully helping Leila slip her shirt back on and crawling in front of her to kiss the bridge of her nose.

"Thank you." Leila murmurs as Sawyer helps her lie down on her side and his blue eyes crinkle.

"You're most welcome sweetheart, try to relax and get some sleep alright? Is it ok if I stay with you until you fall asleep?"

Leila's already halfway to la-la land as she gives an incoherent, little nod.

XXXXXXXXXX

Leila wakes up with a scream, sweat soaking her bed, as she lets out a few little sobs.

 _Breath, you're safe now, he can't hurt you, you're with Sawyer…_

Not even a minute later, Sawyer comes bursting through the door, and without saying anything, gently gathers Leila in his arms as he rocks her back and forth.

"Shhh...Shhh…" he whispers, rubbing his hand up and down the length of her entire back as Leila lightly cries into his chest.

"Sorry...for...w-waking...you." Leila snivels and Sawyer moves his hand up to her head, stroking her hair.

"Shhh...It's ok, I was awake anyway, just focus on breathing." Sawyer instructs.

After a while, Leila's sobs die down to the occasional hiccup or shiver and Sawyer gently lies down with her, keeping her in his arms.

Leila stays there, in Sawyer's hold, as dawn comes and go, and finally, she turns to face him. His clear blue eyes are regarding her with concern, as if they can see right through her. However, they were different from Jack's eyes. Jack's eyes were an icy, glacial blue, but Sawyer's eyes were warmer, more comforting.

Tentatively, Leila raises her hand and runs her finger across Sawyer's stubble, and he grins at her when she giggles.

"I'm trying to grow a beard." He explains, rubbing his own chin and cheek. "But it hasn't been working for me, it stops growing once I get to a certain point."

Leila giggles again, "I like it." She says, gently tracing small circles along Sawyer's jawbone.

Sawyer smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Well, if you like it, then I'm not complaining."

"I think you'll be a good Dom." Leila blurts out, having no idea where that thought even came from and blushing scarlet as Sawyer lets out a loud laugh.

"You flatter me." He chuckles before slightly shaking his head, amused. "But I've been told by several subs that I constantly allow them to top from the bottom, which is completely fine with me because my style has never been the super strict, mean Dom, but I suppose a lot of subs don't like that."

Leila smiles a small smile. "Christian was really strict…" She murmurs as Sawyer furrows his eyebrows so Leila quickly adds. "I mean he's a good guy and all, and he respected all of my limits, even helped me get in contact with a psychiatrist for my depression, but he was always super strict in the playroom, which is why we never lasted, because he only wanted a masochist at the time, but I'm happy he found Ana, she makes him happy."

Sawyer smiles, leaning over to plant a kiss on Leila's head. "That sounds like Christian." He says, thinking back to the first time he met Christian. He was with Elena at the time, the dom who abused him, and one day, he walked into her playroom to discover Christian at the age of 19. Sawyer remembers being so disgusted when he found out that Christian's been with her since 15, even if he was only three years older himself, and after that, Sawyer broke up with Elena and became a Dom, but he always suspected Christian never escaped Elena's clutches.

Sawyer presses another kiss to Leila's head. He wanted to ask her about her other Dom, Jack, and find out where he was so he could kill him with his bare hands, but he knew she needed more time.

"Sweetheart." he says, brushing an errant strand of hair away from her face. "I don't want you to worry about doms or subs or playrooms right now. The only thing you have to do is rest and get better, both mentally and physically, and once you feel well, we can discuss more of this stuff if you want, ok?"

"Ok." Leila gives a little nod, snuggling closer to Sawyer. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

In the darkening night, Sawyer softly smiles. "Yes, now sleep." he murmurs as he tucks the blankets around both of them and pulls Leila into his embrace.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/n-Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews. You guys rock!**

 **Chapter 20-Independent**

"Oh my gosh, we have so much to do! Cake tasting, dress fitting, decorations, shopping, hair, makeup, flowers...we need to go to the mall right now, and I know this fabulous wedding store…"

Ana giggles as Christian rolls his eyes, sauntering over and slinging an arm around her.

"Mia." He states. "Ana and I have already talked about everything, we just want to have a casual wedding, can you please calm down? We don't even have a date." Christian explains, a bit exasperated.

Mia huffs, crossing her arms and pouting. "So, you're telling me that _the_ Christian Grey just wants a small wedding, how would that look in the media?"

At this point, Grace kindly interrupts. "Mia darling, I know you're excited about the wedding. I am too." She says, lovingly gazing at Christian while reaching out to caress his cheek, and Christian smiles back. _For once, he's done something to make Grace proud._

"but," Grace continues, turning her attention back to Mia. "We must let Ana and Christian decide how they want their wedding. I am, personally, thrilled that they want a casual wedding. You're right, it won't attract much media attention, but I think that's the whole point. After everything, I think we should lay low for a while, and it's their wedding darling, their big day."

Mia huffs again, acting like a spoiled child, and Ana benevolently smiles at her stubborn sister-in-law. "You can still choose the menu though, and the decorations, and of course, I'd love to go dress shopping with you." she chirps as Mia's face instantly lights up, like a storm disappearing into a sunny day.

"Really?"

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you!" Mia squeals, throwing her arms around Ana and nearly knocking her over.

While Mia's busy hugging Ana and conversing with Grace, Carrick quietly enters the room and clasps his hand on Christian's shoulder.

"Son, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Christian furrows his eyebrows, but nonetheless nods his head, heading into his Dad's office while sitting down and crossing his legs.

Before Christian can ask what's going on, Carrick begins, "You're a wealthy man, my son."

Christian raises an incredulous brow, neither agreeing nor denying.

 _So?_

"You know that some people might want to take advantage of your wealth…" Carrick proceeds after Christian remains silent for several more seconds.

Suddenly, Christian understood where this conversation was heading.

"Dad." He grits. "This better not be what I think it is." Christian threatens, narrowing his eyes.

However, Carrick remains un-phased.

"I'm just saying, I think it would be smart for you to get a prenup."

 _There, he said it._

"No, absolutely not. No Prenup ." Christian states, standing up, the way he would in a board room.

"Christian, you only knew Ana for 4 months, and the difference in your backgrounds...I'm just trying to look at this through a lawyer's perspective." Carrick explains, and Christian glares at him.

"How can you say that, _dad?_ " Christian spits.

"How can you say, or even _imply,_ that I don't know Ana. How can you even _imply_ that Ana is after me for my money, what she did for me on the news, and exposing Elena, _how can you say that?"_ Christian hisses, his voice rising with every word.

"Christian, I'm just saying, 4 months isn't a long time…"

"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND ANA! SHE NEVER WANTED ANYTHING EXCEPT ME, AND I WILL NOT BETRAY HER BY GETTING A PRENUP!"

Carrick stands up as well, raising two hands in surrender to calm Christian down. "Christian, I know you're in love, and people in love can behave stupidly sometimes, I'm trying to look out for you, as a lawyer I have seen cases like this…"

"I DON'T NEED A LAWYER! ANA AND OUR LOVE DOES NOT NEED A LAWYER!" Christian roars, slamming his fist down on the desk.

Suddenly, the door burst opens, and an angry Grace steps in with a worried looking Ana besides her.

"What on earth is the matter?" Grace demands.

Carrick darts his gaze away. "I...um...I was suggesting the idea of a prenup to Christian…" He murmurs, risking a cautious glance at Ana.

Christian keeps his eyes on Ana, mentally conveying to her that she better not get any ideas, but he can see the wheels turning in her head.

"Ana, don't you even dare." He warns darkly, reading her thoughts and narrowing his eyes.

"Do you have the papers?" Ana asks, ignoring Christian, and Carrick raises an eyebrow.

"In a matter of fact, I do." Carrick states, and Ana nods.

"Dad, I swear to God…" Christian mutters, going into full CEO, you-better-not-fuck-with-me mode and standing near Ana.

But before Christian can say anything, Carrick reaches in his desk and pulls out a folder as well as a pen, handing it to Ana.

"Ana…" Christian warns again, trying to snatch the pen out of her hand, but it's too late, Ana has already clicked open the pen and scribbled her name down on the dotted line before even reading the document.

Ana bites the inside of her cheek as she hands the document back to Carrick who nods, satisfied, and she warily regards Christian, knowing he's going to become fifty-shades-thermonuclear-mad.

Christian gives Ana a pointed stare, turns, and without saying another word, walks out.

"Christian! Hey, aren't you going to stay for dessert? Mom made pumpkin pie!" Mia calls, still clueless about the ordeal that happened in the study.

"No, why don't you save the pie for dear old, dad." Christian snaps, yanking his coat off of the rack and storming out.

"Christian! Wait!" Ana scurries after him while flashing Mia an apologetic smile.

It's autumn outside, and pedestrians huddle in their rain jackets and light winter coats as they scurry by.

Ana risks a glance at Christian in the driver's seat, brooding, and decides to break the uncomfortable silence growing in the car.

"You're mad." She observes, and Christian scoffs.

"No shit."

"Are you mad at me, or Carrick?" She gently probes.

"Both." Christian answers.

"I don't want anyone to think that I'm after your money." Ana pleads. "And if signing a document would prove that to your father, then I'm happy to do it."

Christian lets out a bitter laugh. "Did you even read, no, scratch that, did you even glance at the document he gave you?"

Before Ana can answer, Christian continues. "No, you didn't. You just sign whatever without thinking it through, and while I don't doubt that the document you signed is anything but a prenup, how can you be so reckless? You didn't even discuss it with me! I'm your fucking fiance! I thought good relationships were all about communication, but I guess we fail at that. Here I am, trying to pour my heart out, and you can't even talk to me." Christian doesn't realize he's on a tangent and his words are like glass shards right through Ana's heart.

Hot tears sting Ana's eyes. "I'm sorry…" She whimpers.

Christian, however, is nowhere done being angry. He feels betrayed by everyone, mostly Carrick. It feels as if his love with Ana is now ruined by a stupid piece of paper. He knew Ana didn't want his money, and prenup or no prenup, he would never doubt her love for him, but the fact that she thought he needed that piece of stupid paper hurt him, and that hurt fueled his anger.

"Stop with the fucking waterworks." Christian growls even though his heartstrings tugged at seeing her cry.

Through the rear-view mirror, Taylor gives a disapproving shake of the head at Christian's outburst.

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian downs a glass of whiskey as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

 _Was the way they viewed money really going to be a problem in their marriage?_

Pouring himself another glass, Christian stares hard into the distance, gazing out at Seattle's skyline, and his mind travels back to two days ago, when they had just arrived home from Paris.

" _Christian, I want to talk to you about something."_

" _Sure babe, what's the matter?" He asks while Ana curls up next to him._

" _I want to find a job...I know I'm still in school, and I know right now you're paying for my school, but one day, I would like to be able to pay you back. I know we're married now, and you keep on saying it's our money, but please, this is important for me."_

Christian frowns, remembering the rest of the conversation.

" _But I don't want you to work and go to school at the same time, why can't you just allow me to pay for your tuition? I have more money than sense, and you're my wife now, so no, you're absolutely not going to work and go to school at the same time. It's too much."_

And of course, Ana's response didn't make him happy.

" _Christian, why can't you understand my need for independence? I know you're stinking rich, but I don't want to just sit home and become some bored trophy wife."_

" _You're going to university, you're not some bored trophy wife."_

" _Christian, I know that, and I'm not saying that's what you want me to become, but I need to be able to support myself, plus there's something else…." Ana trails off._

" _What?"_

" _Well, when I was living on the streets, um...in order to survive, I needed to steal some food, and I never got a chance to pay them back._

" _Ana." Christian sighs. "You don't need to pay them back, I'll give you the money."_

" _But I don't want to use your money. I'm the one that stole, and plus, I don't want to buy your birthday present and anniversary gifts every year with your money."_

" _Ana, you don't have to buy me anything…"_

Christian downs his second glass as he lets out an exasperated sigh. Of course, after that conversation, Ana probably just wanted to prove to him even more that she was capable of handling things herself, which is presumably what provoked her to sign the damn prenup, and it's not that Christian thought she wasn't capable. He knew how smart, and hardworking, and brilliant Ana is, it's one of the many reasons he loved her, but he just couldn't get over the hurt he felt when Ana signed the prenup. It's as if she was telling him she didn't need him. And Christian knew Ana didn't need or love him for his money, another reason why he loved her so much, but still, the hurt was there, and it was real.

Christian was use to having to prove his worth in terms of money. When he fought with Elliot, instead of apologizing, he brought him a new car, Grace or Mia, some form of jewelry, Carrick, a boat. Money was Christian's way of handling things, and before Ana, it was the only way he knew how to say _I'm sorry, please forgive me._

The sun has begun to set, and Christian's phone rings.

"Hi mom." Christian picks up the phone with a sigh, and Grace can tell he's upset.

"Oh Christian, darling, are you alright? How's Ana?" She inquires as her heart goes out to her hurt, confused boy.

"I don't know mom, I got in a fight with Ana." Christian chokes out a sob.

Grace softly smiles. "It's normal for couples to fight, do you want to tell me what happened?"

Christian buries his head in his hand. "She keeps on insisting on being independent, and I yelled at her, but I don't understand why she's so interested in getting a job. I don't want her to work. She doesn't _have to_ work." Christian whines, and he can hear Grace smiling on the other end.

"Christian dear, you need to try and be patient, I can understand Ana's need for independence. She doesn't want to rely on a man her whole life, I was the same way with your father who, by they way, I'm still very upset with."

The sun has completely set and long shadows have stretched across the room when Christian finally hung up with Grace, and with heavy footsteps, he heads up to the library, determined to make things right with Ana.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana hears a soft knock on the library door and Christian's voice. "Knock, knock…"

She pretends to ignore him as Christian cracks the door open and gives her his best, I'm-sorry-please-don't-be-mad-at-me smile.

Ana quickly smears away the rest of her tears. _She doesn't want Christian to know she's been crying this whole time._

Ana didn't understand. It was only money, money that she did not care about, why was Christian so adamant about no prenup, and he even yelled at her.

 _Christian never yells at her…_

"Look who's being the child now?" Christian lightly teases, bending down and placing two fingers under Ana's chin, gently tilting her head up, but she shakes her face away from his grasp.

"I don't want to talk to you." She states, crossing her arms and turning away.

Christian sighs, sitting down and wrapping an arm around his stubborn girl. "I know you're upset. I'm sorry for what I said earlier."

Ana continues to ignore him, trying to keep her emotions in check, and Christian brushes away an escaped tear with his thumb.

 _He can be so gentle and sweet sometimes._

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, I hope you know I didn't mean it. I'm mostly hurt because of Carrick, and I took it out on you, for that, I apologize, although I'm not very happy that you signed the prenup either." Christian confesses.

Ana's heart thaws, just a bit, and Christian continues.

"Grace called, and I talked with her for a long time. She helped me figure out why you want a job so badly. I can't say I'm thrilled, but I understand you don't want to rely on me, and if you truly want to, you can get a job, I can't stop you."

"You're letting me get a job?" Ana asks in disbelief, and Christian nods, offering her his heart-achingly shy smile.

"Yes baby, although now I can't have you barefoot and pregnant." Christian somehow manages to pout and sound very serious at the same time, and Ana snorts with laughter.

"Barefoot and pregnant?" She giggles, and Christian nuzzles her hair.

"Yes." He whispers, happy to finally see her smile, and knowing that his lame, little joke was what made her smile made Christian only feel that much prouder.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _(a month later)_

Ana wipes down the table at her new job, Juniper Grill, as her co-worker Carol comes skipping over.

"Ana, you have a table, and _he_ requested you as his server." She says, a mischievous glint alive in her eyes, and Ana smiles.

"I'll be right there." She informs.

Ana's smile, however, disappears when she sees the man sitting by the window, dressed in a grey suit.

"Christian, what are you doing here?" She hisses, and Christian places his hand over his heart, feigning hurt, and gives her his innocent puppy dog eyes.

"You promised me you wouldn't interfere with my career." Ana continues to quietly hiss, and Christian raises an amused brow.

"I'm not interfering with your career, I'm going out to eat. I heard this place has excellent service." He says, very matter-of-factly, and smiling his panty dropping smile as Ana rolls her eyes.

"Fine, what would you like to eat, Mr. Grey?" Ana asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm, and Christian's smile widens.

"Hmmm, I'm awfully hungry…"

"Don't you even start."

"Why not?"

"Because we're in public! Christian! You're making a scene." Ana whispers-yells.

"Ok, ok, I'm just teasing." Christian relents, raising two hands in surrender. "Can you get me a dinner with grilled salmon and broccoli on the side."

When Ana brings out the food, she's still angry. _Christian knew what he was doing! He knew he was just causing her attention, attention she didn't want._

Ana sets the plate down and abruptly turns to leave, but Christian catches her wrist.

"Is this how you treat all your customers?" He whispers, gently pulling her towards him.

"No, just you." Ana spits.

Christian's lips twitch up. "Hmmm, if you keep this attitude up, I might have to give you a spanking when we get home." He whispers, his voice sultry and low, and Ana can't help it as her stomach tightens.

"Do whatever you want, I'm done talking to you, Mr. Grey."

Christian chuckles as he lets her go. _He'll get her back eventually._

Ana's mouth drops open when she finally picks up Christian's check. He has just left, and there's a five hundred dollar tip on the table.

 _Not interfering with her career my ass._

"You have some explaining to do, Christian!" Ana demands the minute she steps into Escala.

Christian smiles a breathtaking smile as he leans against the counter.

"Explain what?"

"Why did you leave a 500 dollar tip?"

Amusement dance in Christian's eyes.

"I'm a wealthy man Ana, and I must say." Christian drags his words out, still smiling and Ana's heart softens seeing him in such a playful mood. "That I quite enjoyed the service."

Ana rolls her eyes. "Christian, stop with the sexual innuendos. The point is you're interfering with my career. First, you come in and make a scene. Secondly, you leave an outrageous tip so I wouldn't have to work for the next month or so. I told you, and told you, that I want to learn how to be independent, why can't you understand that?"

Christian sighs, running his hands through his hair. "Ana." He explains. "I know you want independence, and I let you get a job, but why can't you just accept my need to provide for you? I make more than enough money, why can't you learn to live with that?"

"Because I never got a chance at freedom, and I'm not saying being with you inhibits my freedom, but I never had a normal childhood, and I was always under someone's control. Please Christian?" Ana pleads, and Christian sighs.

"I guess." He mutters, sounding like a petulant child even to his own ears.

Ana softly smiles, knowing that this matter is officially put away, but she knows Christian's still upset, and she wants to comfort him.

Walking up, she wraps her arms around his waist, her small 5'7 figure fitting within his 6 foot frame, and she inhales his masculine scent, a combination of clean linen and fresh grass.

"Don't be mad." She murmurs as Christian leans down and kisses her hair.

"I'm not mad." He argues, and Ana smiles, standing on her tiptoes and whispering in his ears. "You did promise me a spanking, Mr. Grey."

Christian's lips twitch up as a slow smirk spreads across his face. "Hmmm, I did?"

"Yes." Ana whispers, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. "Something about my attitude…"

Christian smiles as he all of the sudden hoists her up and spins them around, sitting her on the kitchen counter and leaning in to nuzzle her hair, all of his anger forgotten about. "Hmmm Mrs. Grey, there was this one, little thing, you did seem to be quite feisty today." He murmurs, working his hand over her body, pinching and squeezing, until he finally reached her pussy and stoked her through her jeans.

"By the way." He whispers, his hand sliding back over her abs and down her back where he gently pinched her ass. "I like you feisty…"

 **A/n-ok, so hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter. I always liked the playful banter between Ana and Christian in the original FSoG and appreciated Ana's strong, independent nature. I think it's one of the many things that speaks to people in EL James incredible novel, so I wanted to include a little bit of that in my story as well, what do you guys think?**

 **Secondly, I try really, really hard to update every week, but right now real life is crazy with relatives coming over and work and getting ready for college, so if I don't update exactly on time next week, please know it's NOT that I'm abandoning this story, but simply because I'm overwhelmed, so I apologize in advance if the next update is a couple of days later than it usually is (I'll still try my best to update on time though)**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/n-Thank you for all of the lovely reviews, I truly cannot tell you guys how much it means to me, you guys are the best group of readers/supporters anyone can ask for, and I actually did manage to update on time so Yay!**

 **Ok, so I know many of you didn't like the prenup (honestly, did you think I would've allowed them to enter a marriage with a prenup?) lol, but hopefully that problems resolves itself in this chapter as well as Ana's job...**

 **I will also try to update again on time next week, but it might be a day or two later depending on how crazy RL gets.**

 **Chapter 21-Home**

Carrick rubs his eyes, the day has taken a toll on him. He tried calling Christian several times today, and the day before, as well as the day before that.

He pushes on his bedroom door and becomes frustrated when he finds out it's locked, and his frustration only increases when he finds out that the key is gone as well.

Carrick bangs loudly against the door, and when Grace doesn't answer, he slams his fist against the sturdy wood. Suddenly, the door is thrown open, and a very angry Grace appears in the doorway.

"What's going on Grace?" Carrick demands.

Grace throws his pillow at his face, and startled, Carrick reacts just in time to catch it. "You can either resolve things with Ana and Christian, or you can sleep in the boathouse." She spits.

Carrick raises his eyebrows, surprised. Grace never spoke so harshly with him. "I told you, I'm just trying to look out for Christian."

"Look out for him my ass, he's _finally_ happy, and you decide to ruin their marriage with your idea of a prenup. Do you know Ana and Christian had several fights about this? huh? So you either rip up that piece of stupid paper or you don't get to come into this house." Grace speaks, her words lit with fire, and with that, she slams the door shut once again.

Carrick pinches the bridge of his nose, he needed a drink, and with a deep sigh, retreats to his study. After several hours (and several glasses of whisky), Carrick reaches into his drawer to pull out the prenup.

Grace's right. Christian was happy with Ana, and he should be happy for him as well, instead of trying to look out for his company and money. Carrick knew his intentions were good, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and a stupid piece of paper was not worth ruining his family. Plus, he would never be able to persuade Christian to sign it, so even though he had Ana's signature, it was invalid.

Fumbling around in his drawer, Carrick tries to find the dark green folder he kept the contract in, but as he continued searching, he realized that the piece of paper was gone.

 _Huh, he swore he kept all of his important documents in this drawer. It even has a lock._

Beyond frustrated (and slightly intoxicated), Carrick logs into his computer. He knew he scanned and photocopied all of his important documents for safekeeping, but as Carrick opened up his folder in the computer titled _Prenup,_ he realized that it was empty.

 _Someone has hacked into his computer and deleted the document, as well as stolen the actual file._

XXXXXXXXXX

Christian hears a knock on his office door, and Taylor steps in, his stoic mask in place.

"Sir, your Dad is here."

"Tell him to go away. I have nothing to say to him." Christian replies without so much of a glance upward.

Taylor clears his throat. "Sir, he's quite insistent."

Christian rolls his eyes before continuing to work. GEH was still suffering a little from all the media attention Elena caused, and Christian needed to do some damage control. He also had his eye on a new publishing company, SIP. Ana insisted on working in that God-forbidden, hell-hole of a restaurant, but Christian was confident she would be able to hold down a job as an editor, and maybe he could even persuade her to work from home.

 _hmmm, home._

Christian quite liked the word. He never considered Escala home, it was merely sleeping arrangements, but now that Ana was there, the cadaver-like, empty space somehow became home, cozy and warm.

"Sir." Taylor clears his throat again, and Christian rolls his eyes so hard that he thought they would roll out from the back of his head and hit the floor.

"Fine, send the old man in." Christian snaps, still scanning through several documents.

Taylor steps aside and opens one of the double wooden doors before quietly excusing himself.

Carrick carefully regards Christian, buried in work, and making it painstakingly obvious that he doesn't want to talk to him.

"Christian." he calls as Christian turns to his computer, typing in some numbers.

"I'm not signing the prenup." Christian states before Carrick could even open his mouth, eyes still glued to the fluorescent screen.

Carrick takes a deep breath and, forcing the lump past his throat, swallows his pride. "I came to apologize about the prenup, it wasn't my place. I'm sorry."

Christian arches a perfectly shaped eyebrow in Carrick's direction. "Are you only saying that because you can't find the prenup."

Carrick's lips twitch up, hiding a wry smirk. "So it was you, you had someone sneak into my study and hack my computer."

Christian remains impassive. "Yes, I have to say you know me well."

Carrick stares at the ground. "I know you're upset with me, I imagine Ana is as well, even though she signed it, and I know you destroyed the document. I just came to apologize, and I won't interfere with your marriage anymore." Carrick says, contrite, and with what little dignity he had left, turns and leaves.

Watching his father's shadow, Christian notices that he seems older, thinner, his back slightly hunched over, and he sighs. He wasn't ready to forgive Carrick just yet, but at the same time, he wanted to comfort his father, the man he looked up to as a little boy, his own, personal super-hero.

XXXXXXXXXX

The smell of fried rice assaulted Christian's nose when he walks through Escala, and he finds Ana in the kitchen with a messy bun and dancing to some song by Nicki Minaj and Nick Jonas.

 _Hmmm. This is home._

"Hello beautiful." Christian's arms snake around her from behind as she giggles.

"Stop it Christian! I'm cooking." Ana tries pushing him away, although she was hardly convincing herself.

Christian's hands continue their exploration until they finally reach her ass, and he gently squeezes it, flexing his fingers.

"Are you sore?" He asks, referring to last night. He has tried to be gentle, to go as slowly as possible, and he knew Ana enjoyed herself, but he still worried that he was too harsh. He has started to explore some play with Ana, and of course it wasn't even close to full blown BDSM, but his past...Christian constantly worried that he would hurt her in some way, any way.

"Hey." Ana's voice distracts him, cupping his cheek in her hand so he was forced to look at her. "You didn't hurt me, ok? I enjoyed it, very much so." She purrs lightly, and Christian smiles a shy smile.

"But I was angry…" He murmurs, ashamed, and gently brushes his thumb over her neck where he left a love bite.

Ana smiles. "Yes, you were frustrated, with the prenup and my job, I get it, and I'm sorry too. It was very inconsiderate of me to sign the prenup without at least talking to you first, but please stop worrying about hurting me, if something doesn't feel right, I'll tell you, ok?"

Christian gazes into her blue eyes, filled with sincerity, and relaxes. "Ok." He whispers, and Ana stands on her tip toes, giving him a chaste kiss while whispering in his ear. "Plus," she murmurs. "I like angry, possessive Christian."

Christian feels a shiver run down his spine, and leans down, pressing a passionate kiss to Ana's lips, the warmth from her mouth spreading across his veins and coursing through his body, but he forces himself to pull away. This wasn't the time for _that,_

"About the prenup, and your job…" he trails off, a little breathless and scratching the back of his neck, as Ana smiles at him encouragingly. She knew they still needed to talk things through, and her decisions were childish and immature (although she didn't want to admit it), but they were still growing, as individuals and as a couple.

They ate dinner in comfortable silence, snuggled up on the couch, with Ana curled next to Christian as he gently tucks an errant strand of hair away from her face.

"Carrick came into my office today…" Christian begins.

"I assume you didn't sign the prenup, I know he's been wanting to persuade you." Ana says, and Christian chuckles.

"You know me well…" he muses, realizing that it was the second time today he said that to somebody.

"No, I didn't sign the prenup." Christian continues, carefully shifting his body. "I also destroyed it."

Ana raises a questioning eyebrow, somehow, this didn't surprise her.

"I had Welch hack into his computer, and...uh...Taylor sneak into his office…" Christian admits, looking away and looking a lot like a little boy that got caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.

Christian expected Ana to be angry, anticipated even, but instead she surprised him. She laughed, not like a giggle, but like really laughed, throw back your hair and clutch your belly type of laugh.

"Oh Christian." She murmurs, finally catching her breath.

Christian sulks. "Haha." He mocks.

Ana can hear the hurt in his voice, and she snuggles closer to him. "Hey." She says, cupping his cheek. "Don't be mad, I'm not, and I didn't mean to laugh. It's just…." She pauses to try to find the right words. "It's so _you_ , you know? I mean, that's something I can totally imagining you doing, and I'm sorry I signed the prenup without talking to you. You're right, you're my fiance, and I should've consider your feelings. If you really want, we won't have a prenup."

Christian pulls Ana closer to him, feeling her body curl up next to his muscular frame, and wraps his arms tightly around her.

"Thank you for agreeing to this." He says, pressing a soft kiss to her temple as the sun outside begins to set, casting the living room in long shadows. "You don't understand, I have this want, no, this _need_ to look after you."

Ana pouts. "I don't need looking after."

Christian gently chuckles, pulling her closer. "I know that." He says, pressing another kiss to her hair. "I know you don't need looking after, and I know you're used to looking after other people…" Christian trails off, thinking of Paul, how the responsibility of raising a child had fallen on Ana's slim shoulders when she was merely a child herself.

"You don't have to be alone anymore." He whispers. "You have me."

In the darkening night, Ana rests her head on Christian's chest, lightly kissing the exposed patch of skin where his top two buttons are undone.

Christian continues. "I want to spoil you and make extravagant gestures because I care for you." He moves uncomfortably. "Ana," He pauses, struggling to find his words. "Sometimes….Sometimes I can't say the things I feel, I'm not good with emotions or words. All I can do is show you, and when you won't let me..." Christian shrugs, pained, and looks away.

Tears prick Ana's eyes, she hasn't thought of things that way.

She hugs Christian tighter. "I'm sorry. I'll quit my job." She says quietly.

She hated that God forbidden, hell-hole of a restaurant anyway.

Christian tucks Ana's head under his chin, gently brushing away her tears. "Don't cry, baby." He murmurs. "I have another proposal." He says, trying to lighten the atmosphere, and Ana's lips twitch up.

"What type of proposal?"

Christian lightly pats her bottom. "Behave." He warns, although you can see his grey eyes shining.

"I know you want to work." He begins carefully. "And I have my eye on this publishing house...you're an english major, what do you think about being an editor? I know you love to read…"

Ana squints her eyes playfully. "Does this mean I'll be fucking my boss?"

Christian smirks. "Well, technically, he's your boss's boss's boss."

"Hmmm, I'm sure he'll keep me busy." Ana hums and giggles when she feels Christian adjusts himself.

"If you don't want your boss's boss's boss to fuck you in the middle of the living room and provide a floor show for poor Gail and Taylor, I suggest you behave." Christian growls.

Ana flushes. "Whatever _sir_ says." She whispers, her stomach tightening in that delicious way.

Christian nuzzles Ana's hair, their legs intertwined, clothes discarded on the floor, as he strokes her hair.

"How long have you been off the pill?" He suddenly asks, and Ana smirks. They have talked about kids.

"Um, about a week."

"Good." Christian grins. "I asked Gail to purchase some parenting books."

Ana turns, incredulous, blue eyes wide. "Christian! I'm not even pregnant yet!" She exclaims.

Christian lifts a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, acting completely serious. "Mrs. Grey." He clears his throat. He has sometimes called her that, even though they weren't officially married. "Are you questioning my-ah- _efficiency_?" He asks, winking at the end, and Ana buries her face in her hands.

"Christian! You're incorrigible!"

Another slow grin creeps across Christian's face as he rolls over so she's under him. "Because I can show you just how efficient I can be."

XXXXXXXXXX

Andrea watches Christian whistle as he enters his office and furrows her eyebrows.

 _Since when the fuck did Mr. Grey whistle?_

Christian was in an extremely good mood, everything was falling into place. They had set a date for a wedding, March 17th, which was in two months, and Ana has started her job at SIP.

 _Now, if only she could get pregnant...and they can have kids...move into a bigger house...perhaps by a lake...with a meadow...they can still save Escala for mommy and daddy time…_

Christian's daydream (and fantasies) are rudely interrupted by his office phone.

"Andrea." He snaps, now a little grumpy.

"Mr. Grey, someone requested to see you, he doesn't have an appointment, but he says he has information on a uh...Ray Steele?"

Christian freezes. Ray, Ana's father. He went to Iraq when she was ten and disappeared. There were no news on him, and Ana has assumed the worst. Christian, even though he had his people looking for him, knew that Ana was probably right.

"Send him in."

A tall man, probably about six foot, dressed in a green army suit steps in. His back straight, eyes narrowed, lips pressed together.

Instinctually, Christian stands up. He always held the utmost respect for military personnel. They were the reason why their country was safe, any country, the true heros.

"Sir." Christian sticks out his hand, and the man grasps it with a firm shake.

"Mr. Grey."

"Can I get you something to drink?" Christian asks, more out of politeness and the fact that he didn't know what else to say as the man smiles a wry smile.

"No thank you, I try to refrain from alcohol." and for the briefest of seconds, Christian sees pain flash through his dark eyes, and gives him an understanding nod, pouring a glass of water instead.

"Let's not bullshit around, you know that Ray is Ana's father, or else you wouldn't have let me up here, and Ana's your future wife."

"Yes." Christian nods, confirming his information.

"Ana was Ray's baby girl…" The guy trails off, and the sadness Christian saw before intensifies along his hard features.

"Ray's alive." He continues, but Christian remains silent, suspecting there's more to the story.

"But he lost his memory. He has no recollection of his past, of the army, of Ana, of anything. He has suffered sever head injuries and it destroyed his entire episodic memory."

He reaches into the pocket of his army uniform and pulls out a picture, the edges slightly wrinkled, the color a faded yellow, and his eyes soften.

"I found this in Ray's wallet." He explains.

Christian carefully picks up the photo, it's of a man, Ray, and a little girl, Ana. Ana's probably seven or eight in the picture, and she's on Ray's back. They're both smiling widely at the camera, Ana's missing a tooth, and Ray's blue eyes are sparkling.

Ana's hair was short in the picture, a pixie cut, but Christian still recognizes her soft, brown curls, and her blue eyes are exactly like her father's.

"I know you've been trying to find Ray." The man smirks, indicating all of Christian's dangerous hacks into top-notched security computers haven't gone unnoticed.

"Ray is currently living with me, I owe him a lot. He saved me, and I know he would love to meet Ana, but his memory…" The man shakes his head. "I'm warning you, it might not be the reunion she expects. War does terrible things to man, Mr. Grey."

And with that, he turns to leave.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22-More Than Happily-Ever-After**

Ana rides the elevator up with Christian, her heart in her throat, a bouquet of roses in her hand.

Christian lightly brushes his thumb over her knuckles and gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Remember what I told you?" He asks as Ana fights back tears, and he catches a drop of moisture with one long, elegant finger.

"Ray had lost all of his memory. I have consulted with several specialist, memory recovery is extremely rare, especially to the extent of Ray's trauma." Christian continues to explain, tightening his hold around Ana. "I just don't want you to get your hopes up." He whispers.

Ana feels the slight tremor in her hand as she tries to stop her shaking. "I…just want to see him...I don't care if he never remembers me...I just…" she turns her face into Christian's jacket and lets out a small sob.

All of the anxiety Ana has felt over the past eight years, all of those nights she cried herself to sleep, all of the fears that lie within her come tumbling down, like a stone wall crumbling that couldn't withstand anymore storms.

She remembers how much she wanted her daddy, how when Steve was beating her, she would pray to him to protect her. She remembers his smile, the way his eyes would bunch themselves up and crinkle at the edges. She remembers him telling her that she needed to be brave, that he was somehow, someway, always with her.

Christian rubs his hand up and down the entire length of her back, trying to comfort her.

He didn't know which was worse, that they thought Ray was dead, or that he couldn't remember anything from his life.

"Shhh." He mumbles into Ana's hair. "It's ok to cry. I'm right here."

Mark opens the door, and even though Christian was skeptical of him at first, after some research and a background check, the guy seemed pretty decent.

He nods at Christian, and they exchange a handshake. His gaze softens as he regards Ana, clutching onto Christian's side with tears streaming down her face.

"Hi sweetheart." He says softly, ignoring Christian's low growl.

This was her father they were talking about. Mark didn't want to imagine the emotions that must be going through her at the moment.

"He's inside." Mark says, leading them into a modest apartment. It was simple, yet masculine, with wooden floorboards and tan walls.

Ana spots him before anyone else. He's sitting on a barstool, blue eyes staring into the distance. His hair has grown out, falling into messy brown strands around his face, and he has a stubble, but somehow, he still manages to look like Ray, like her dad.

"Daddy?" Ana chokes, and Ray looks up.

Ana's cries turn into sobs when she sees his eyes.

The blue depth to them no longer held their warmth, they were empty. He didn't know her.

Christian continues to rub her back. He didn't know what to do, didn't know how to comfort her. Truth be told, no comfort can ever truly compensate for the loss of a parent.

Not even a crack whore.

Christian nudges Ana, making sure to keep his hand around her waist.

"I think we should go say hi to your dad." He whispers, and Ana nods through her tears.

Christian guides Ana to Ray, supporting most of her weight in his arms and keeping his grip around her.

"Hi." Ana whispers, her voice cracking as she stands before Ray. She can smell his cologne, can see the veins traveling across his forearms, can sense his presence.

"I...I brought… you..R-roses." She continues to whisper, full of emotions.

"Your f-favorite….flower were roses...you named my m-middle name...after them…."

Ray looks away, the familiar guilt pinching him. He knew this was his daughter, Mark told him so, but he couldn't remember.

Ray wishes he could remember, something, anything, even if it was something as small as his favorite flower. He didn't have any sense of his identity, of who he was, or who he wanted to be.

However, one thing was clear, he was a father.

Ray couldn't remember being a dad, he couldn't remember tucking his daughter into bed and reading her a bedtime story, couldn't remember the first time he held her in his arms, couldn't remember those little feet and hands, couldn't remember changing smelly diapers, couldn't remember chasing her around playgrounds or wrestingling her to take a bath. Too many couldn'ts.

But he was a dad, and his daughter was standing before him, all broken hearted with tears streaming down her face, holding a bouquet of roses, the red petals blossoming.

Ray glances at the roses again, and he gently removes them from Ana's hand, her hand still small and soft compared to his, setting them carefully on the kitchen counter, and pulls her into a hug.

Ana lets out several more sobs before clutching onto Ray, squeezing his waist. His body is thinner than she remembered, weaker, but his hands were still strong, his grip tight as she drenches his t-shirt with her tears, clinging to him like a child clinging to their favorite stuffed animal.

Ray loosely wraps his arms around Ana, guilt building in his gut. _Why couldn't he remember?_

He didn't know where the hug came from, but he just couldn't stand seeing Ana cry anymore.

His hand lightly strokes her soft, brown hair, and he brushes his thumb along her cheeks, wiping away her tears. Her eyes, they were such a brilliant blue, so clear and beautiful.

"Shhh…" Ray whispers, moving his hand back to her hair to pet her. He didn't know where this gentle side was coming from. He went to war. He probably killed people. Why was he comforting this child?

Maybe it was innate.

Maybe because it was his child.

"Daddy...I missed you…" she sobs into his chest, hiccupping.

Ray stares down at the floor, a lump forming in his throat. He wishes he could say the words back, but...he couldn't. His memory of her was gone, shattered by war. He couldn't pretend he knew or loved her. Her wounds were already deep enough.

"I'm sorry." He whispers.

Sorry for not being able to remember, sorry for leaving her as a child.

"It's ok." Ana murmurs, pulling and blinking away her tears. "We can make new memories." She says, cupping his face with her hand and brushing her thumb over his stubble.

Ray pulls out his picture that Mark said he found in his wallet and gazes at the little girl.

"You haven't changed much since you were little." Ray comments.

It's true, the picture made it clear that the woman now standing before him was once the little girl on her daddy's back. She still had that cute, button nose, and her eyes were the same as his, topped with a mass of soft, brown hair.

Ray's gaze turns to Christian. The man was impeccably dressed, even in casual, dark jeans with a grey sweater, and it was very obvious that he was wealthy.

Ray wonders how they met, and he voices his thought out loud.

Christian stiffens, and he gently brings Ana back into his embrace, his thumb resting by her hip. "We met through a mutual friend." He settles for, and Ray squints his eyes.

He lost his memory, but that didn't mean he lost his sense.

"You were on the news." He remarks, thinking back to 2 months ago when he was still recovering, and Mark was taking care of him.

"You were molested." Ray continues, and Christian shifts, uncomfortable.

"You're into the control thing." Another statement.

Ray turns his gaze to Ana. He didn't know the girl, didn't remember her, but somehow it pained him to think of her in such a way, submitting to a man, kneeling.

"It's not like that." Ana's soft voice interrupts Ray, and she hugs Christian tighter as he presses a kiss to her head.

Ray levels his gaze with Christian, and Christian meets his eyes, grey to blue.

"I promise to take care of her sir. I will never harm Ana, you have my word."

Ray somehow got the impression that Christian wasn't a man to back out on his word, and he nods, unexplainably satisfied.

Mark has quietly appeared in the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame. A wry smile hung by his lips as he regarded father, daughter, and husband to be.

He had mocha dark eyes, and they sadden as they fall on Ana. It was very obvious how much she loved Ray, and he was sure Ray loved her. Ray was a quiet, reserved guy, always was, and he never spoke about his family. For a while, Mark suspected he was a lonely bastard like himself. If he had knew…

If he had knew, he would've come taken care of Ana. He owed Ray that much. Ray was lost, everybody thought he was dead. Until one day, he received a letter. Some Dominican sisters, nurses, have taken good care of him, brought him into their home, and since Ray lost his memory, and technology was limited, they accepted him, until one of them were finally able to write and mail a letter to the army, explaining their lost soldier was safe. Ray had not only suffered severe head injuries, causing his memory to be destroyed, but also several major wounds and extreme loss of blood. It was a damn miracle those little nuns were able to save him.

Mark's fist clenches and unclenches. If he had known. He would've come get Ray sooner, come get Ana, take care of her. They were military, and they were family. Mark's blood boils at the mere thought of that pedophilc bitch laying hands on Ana, although Christian seemed like a decent guy, and it was beyond obvious that Ana loved him, and he her.

Christian turns his gaze, and Mark cocks his head to the side, indicating that he wanted to speak to Christian alone.

Christian nods and, leaning down, whispers something in Ana's ear before walking towards Mark.

"Thank you for taking care of him. I'll be sure to hire a nurse if he has any more needs, and I will cover all medical expenses…"

Mark holds up a hand, his lips curved up. "You don't need to thank me for Ray. We are family, I'd do anything for the guy…" he pauses, dark eyes intuitive.

"I want to ask you about Elena, where is she?"

Christian quirks a brow. "Prison." He answers.

Mark leans back against the door frame, his signature smile still hanging from his lips. "I hope you don't mind, I know you were her pet for a while, but she harmed Ana, sold her to be exact, and I'll be damned if I don't do something."

Christian raises his eyebrows. He was beginning to like Mark more and more.

"What are you going to do?"

Mark smirks. "I was pretty messed up before I joined the army, I have a few buddies in jail that I can ask several favors."

Christian doesn't say anything, just arches his eyebrow, and Mark goes on.

"Well, let's just say it's not going to be a gentle death. They'll most likely use a broom."

Christian slightly grimaces, what happened to Elena no longer concerned him. He can close that chapter of his life.

Mark looks over at Ray and Ana. She was reading a magazine to her dad since Ray had trouble recognizing some words. Her long, brown hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall, and her clear blue eyes shone with love and tenderness as she read to her father. Mark smiles and says. "You got yourself a good girl over there, and I better not find a single bruise on her, if I do, you'll end up in the same place as Elena. I assure you, I have my ways."

Christian nods, acknowledging the threat.

"Duly noted."

XXXXXXXXXX

 _(A month later)_

Christian notices that lately, Ana has been unusually crabby, not that grumpy Ana isn't beautiful.

"Ugh!" Christian hears Ana groan from their walk in closet as he peeks his head in.

"What's the matter baby?" He asks, circling his arms around her and resting his chin on her head.

Tears sting Ana's eyes. "I don't know...I just...I don't know why I'm so emotional lately…and none of my clothes fit me!" She stomps her feet.

Christian continues to be patient, rubbing her back and arms. "Baby, it's ok, you're just stressed. With everything that happened to Ray, it's ok to be emotional." He says and Ana hugs him tighter.

"How did I get so lucky?" She murmurs against his chest, and Christian plants two kisses along her hair.

"I'm the lucky one." He whispers, wiping the rest of her tears. "Now, I'm going to go make some coffee, and I'm sure you'll find something to wear, ok?"

Ana sniffs and Christian kisses her one more time before he leaves.

Christian was just finishing pouring the coffee, and plating the eggs Gail made when Ana emerges from their bedroom, dressed in a loose dress.

But as soon as the smell of the eggs and coffee hit her, she covers her mouth, her gag reflex kicking in, and she runs to the bathroom.

"Ana? Baby?" Christian calls, clearly worried as he crouches by her.

"What's wrong? Should I call Grace?" He asks, stroking her hair as Ana shakes her head.

"No, I must have...ate something…" she whispers as Christian helps her to her feet.

Taylor quietly observes them in the corner and rolls his eyes.

 _How can his boss and Ana both be so stupid?_

 _Mood swings? Food aversions? Nauseous?_

 _Really?_

 _Did he need to spell it out for the two idiots?_

 _Christian should pay him more for all the shit he does._

He clears his throat, _Ahem_ , and catches Christian's attention, discreetly handing him a small plastic box.

Christian looks down, curiously, and his eyes widen.

"I haven't thought of that." He admits, clearing his own throat.

"Ana, darling?" He asks carefully, his voice tender, and Taylor makes himself scarce.

Ana gazes at Christian. He's smiling a ridiculous grin, and he's hiding something behind his back.

"You didn't eat anything bad." He states, and then, he reveals the pink and blue plastic box.

Ana almost spits out her orange juice. "You think I'm pregnant?"

Christian grins, pulling her into his arms. "Well, it's very possible. Think about it, you're constantly moody, hungry, and now you have nauseous. I think you should do a test."

Ana stares at herself in the mirror, she's slightly pale from the nauseous, and her blue eyes are too wide on her face, her brown hair tumbles over her shoulder, framing her pretty chin, and suddenly, she smiles, a real, true smile.

She looks down at the little + sign, and she knows that Christian's right.

She was going to be a mom, and she gently rubs her stomach.

"Oh, little blip, your father's going to be so happy." she murmurs.

Stepping out of their bathroom, Ana blushes as she gazes at Christian who's smiling ridiculously at her. In the morning sun, he looks years younger, grey eyes shining, messy copper hair. He no longer looks like the stressed out CEO, but the young 23 year old boy he actually is.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Christian smirks, and Ana nods, blushing everywhere and fidgeting with her hands.

Suddenly, she's being scooped up in a strong pair of arms and spun around, and Christian's laughing while nuzzling her hair.

"Oh Anastasia Steele, you just made me the luckiest bastard alive. I promise to protect you, protect him...or her." Christian adds when the realization that the baby might be a girl enters his mind as he protectively splays his fingers over her stomach and, leaning down, captures her mouth in a heated, passionate kiss.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _(Another month later)_

"Are you ready?" Ray asks, adjusting his bow-tie and holding out his arm.

Ana takes a gulp of air, swallows, and nods, tears already threatening to spill.

"Yes."

Over the month, Ray and Ana have gotten a lot closer, although he couldn't remember her, they formed new memories of their own. He told Ana about the little nuns that took care of him, and Ana told him about Paul and Christian, leaving out Steve. She didn't want Ray to worry, and Mark took care of Elena.

Ana hooks her elbow around Ray's arm. All of her dreams were coming true, she was Cinderella, and her prince was waiting for her at the altar, or perhaps, Beauty and the Beast was a more accurate description, for who she thought was a cruel, cold-hearted monster at first actually turned out to be a kind and gentle creature.

"You look beautiful sweetheart." Ray comments, brushing away an errant strand of hair, and Ana smiles, a tear escaping from the corner of her eye.

"Thanks daddy, you look handsome as well." She whispers, adjusting his bow tie one more time.

Kate's behind her, also smiling ridiculously and holding the long trail of the dress. "Are you guys ready?" She chirps. "We have a wedding to attend!"

When the double doors of the church opens, Ana spots Christian, dressed impeccably in a tux, and he smiles his heart-melting, shy smile at her as Ana stares into his eyes.

The foggy, grey pools held so many emotions, warmth, compassion, humor, love, and a certain type of tenderness.

Ana's legs feel like unsupportive, wobbly noodles as Ray walks her down, and she was glad that she had his arm to clutch onto for support.

Christian nods at Ray, and they exchange a handshake, slapping each other on the back, and Christian takes Ana, wrapping his arm firmly around her hip.

"Last chance to escape." He teases, and Ana chokes on a sob.

"Never." She whispers.

Everything was a haze, happy and dream-like, and soon, it was time for the vows.

For the past couple of days, weeks, Ana has been trying to come up with the right words, the right thing to say, a right way to express her emotions, but she couldn't.

Christian gives her hand a quick, reassuring squeeze, and she takes a deep breath.

"I use to never believe in happily ever after…" She begins, her voice shaky, and she takes another deep breath to calm herself. "In a way, I still don't." She says, chancing a glance at Christian who smiles and reaches out, bushing away one of her tears. "Happily-ever-afters suggest the story has an end…" She continues, squeezing Christian's hand for support. "Life is always going to have ups and downs, challenges and bad times. That's what life is."

Ana swallows. "My only hope is to find someone to share it with. All of it, the good and the bad…" Two more tears roll down her cheek. "And I found Christian…He's my happily ever after, but he's so much more than happily ever after. He's everything."

Ana gently reaches out to touch Christian's face, and she's surprised to find tear tracks running down his cheek.

"I love you." He mouths, resting one hand on her stomach, her flowy, white dress covering her small, baby bump, and the other on the small of her back, protecting her, cherishing her and their little one, and in that moment, Christian knew that he also found his happily ever after.

More than happily-ever-after.

 **The End (Epilogue Chapter Next)**

 _To all of my dearest readers:_

 _Before I say anything else, I want to say Thank You, I know I say it almost every chapter, but I still feel like I don't say it enough. You guys have been the most supportive, most wonderful, most beautiful fans anyone can possibly ask for. All of your words of kindness and encouragement have motivated me to keep writing and improving my writing. The stories I write are merely my crazy imagination and it was an honor to be able to share it with you. A little about me: I'm 18, and I'm your typical nerdy, geeky sort of girl, love science, math, and writing, but is very quiet in the real word. I, like most teenagers, have insecurities, but reading all of your reviews have given me confidence and put a smile on my face every day. I'm an introvert, but you guys have given me a voice, let me express myself, and for that, I'm grateful._

 _This is_ _ **NOT**_ _The End, I'm writing a short epilogue for next week's update, and I'm sure I'll be back with a new story soon._

 _Much love, XOXO, Lauren._


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews/support/love, I truly do have the best group of readers...**

 **Epilogue**

 _(8 months after the wedding)_

"You're doing great, baby." Christian whispers, pressing a gentle kiss to Ana's forehead. However, he was mentally growling at the doctor.

 _Why was Ana in so much pain? Couldn't they do anything to help her? Was the epidural even working?_

"Shhh...shhh…I'm right here. It's ok. You're beautiful." Christian continues to whisper, squeezing Ana's hand to support her…or him. He wasn't sure.

"Ahhhhh…" Ana cries again and Christian thinks he was ready to murder the doctor. It didn't help that he was male.

"Come on, baby, one more push. Push for me, ok?" Christian murmurs.

 _The fucking doctor was pretty useless._

Suddenly, a mass of soft brown hair appears, and then, the room was full of the beautiful sounds of a little girl crying.

 _(4 years later)_

"Daddy! Daddy! Can you play tea party with me? Pleaseeee?" Phoebe begs, tugging on Christian's pant leg as he types something on his computer.

Christian lovingly smiles down at her before hoisting her up on his lap, balancing her on his knee. "Sure sweet pea, but do you remember what daddy told you?"

Phoebe nods, seemingly serious. "Yes. We need to be quiet. Mommy needs to rest. She's having another baby."

Christian smiles, smoothing out her ruffled hair. "Yes, sweet pea. You're going to be a big sister soon." He says, pride welling in his chest.

"Daddy? Can you be Bell, and I'll be Ariel. Mr. Taylor can be Cinderella!" Phoebe chirps, and Christian arches his eyebrow at her.

"But Mr. Taylor doesn't have a Tiara." He says, dead serious, and Phoebe giggles as she squirms with laughter.

"Duh! I have a tiara for Mr. Taylor!"

Ana yawns and stretches, awakening from her nap, and she smiles when she hears comotion down the hall.

Changing into sweatpants and a sweatshirt, she goes to investigate the noise.

Ana can't help but snort with laughter when she peeks her head into Phoebe's room. Christian, Taylor, and Phoebe are all sitting around her princess table, sipping water from plastic tea cups, and Christian and Taylor are both wearing tiaras, completed with sparkling scarfs.

At the sound of his wife's laugh, Christian slants an amused brow, a smirk gliding across his features. "Do you care to join us, snow white?" He asks as Ana curtsies, and Phoebe goes to fetch her a tiara as well.

 _(1 year later)_

"Hold on Ros, I need to get this." Christian says, holding up a hand, and Ros smiles, nodding. It was Ana calling, only for her would Christian interrupt their meeting.

"Hi baby, what's the matter?" Christian asks, wearing a ridiculous grin as he picks up the phone.

Ros can't hear their conversation, but she can tell Christian's not too happy, and he blows out a harsh sigh. "Ok, I'll be there, you just stay home and rest, ok? Teddy needs you. I'll take care of Phoebe." He assures her and, hanging up, flashes Ros an apologetic smile.

"Phoebe got in a fight at school." He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Supposedly she punched some kid in the face."

Ros smirks. "Looks like she's got your bawler gene."

Christian rubs his temples. "So it seems. Listen, are you good here? I need to go to Phoebe's school."

"Yep, go get your little troublemaker, boss." Ros says, still smirking. Christian may be able to deal with a roomful of experienced CEOs, but it's always a certain, little girl that sent his world spinning upside down.

Christian walks into Seattle Prep and is immediately greeted by the principle. "Phoebe's inside." she informs him and leaves to give them some privacy.

Christian opens the door, and he doesn't know whether to be mad or sad. His little girl is curled up on the chair, tears streaming down her face, sniffling, and her favorite barbie doll Bell is clutched in her hand.

Phoebe knows she's in trouble, and her dad could get mad. It doesn't happen very often, but she doesn't like it when it does. His voice always gets very stern and he usually takes away her TV or puts her in time out.

Christian crouches in front of her, and Phoebe sniffles some more. She can already tell he's mad by his eyes, and he can start scolding her any minute now, but instead, he reaches out and brushes his thumb along her cheeks, wiping away some of her tears.

"Sweet pea, you want to tell me what happened?" he asks, gentle.

"Ryan took...took my barbie...bell…" Phoebe hiccups, and Christian smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Well, that doesn't mean you can punch him, right?" Christian explains, moving her onto his lap and enfolding her in his arms.

"Yeah…" Phoebe whimpers.

"What should you do instead?" Christian continues to be patient.

"Ask him to give me my barbie back?" Another whimper, and Christian tries not to completely turn into marsh.

"Yes, Phoebe. When we get mad at someone, we talk to them instead of using our fists ok?" Christian asks, and Phoebe sniffles.

"Daddy?" She asks, still sniffling, and Christian pulls out his handkerchief from his suit to wipe away the rest of her tears.

"Are you going to take away the TV?" She asks, sounding so hurt and small that Christian felt his heart crack. Punishing his kids were always the worst part of parenting, especially with Phoebe, because instead of getting angry, she usually just cries, and her tears could always slay Christian.

"Yes Phoebe, no TV for a week." Christian says, clipping back into his stern father tone and Phoebe starts crying harder.

"But daddy...I said I was sorryyyy…" she whines. However, Christian keeps his impassive mask on. As hard it was punishing Phoebe, he didn't want her to grow up to be a bratty, rich kid, which happened all too much now days with wealthy parents.

"I know you're sorry Phoebe, and I appreciate you apologizing, but you still shouldn't have punched Ryan." Christian explains, and Phoebe sniffles some more.

"But daddy…."

"No whining." Christian interrupts her. "If you continue to whine, I'll put you in time out." He sternly adds although he wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and cuddle her.

Phoebe, thank goodness, stops whining, and Christian tugs her tighter in his embrace.

"Phoebe, I still love you very much, ok? So does mommy, you just need to learn not to use your fist to talk, alright, sweet pea?" Christian asks, and Phoebe nods, cuddling closer to him.

"Has anyone ever told you what a wonderful father you are?" Ana asks, leaning against the doorway when Christian and Phoebe come back.

Christian smiles, bending down and pressing a wet kiss to Ana's mouth.

"Hmmm….I believe my wife tells me that all the time." Christian responds, grinning.

"How's Teddy?" Christian asks, and now it's Ana's turn to smile.

"Hmmm...he's sleeping."

A slow smirk spreads across Christian's face. "Hmm, so Teddy is sleeping, Taylor is playing with Phoebe, and we still have 45 minutes before our family comes for dinner, what do you want to do, Mrs. Grey?" Christian asks in a husky voice, sliding his fingers underneath Ana's robe and placing his hand firmly on her ass.

Ana grins a lazy grin, tilting her head. "I don't know…" she hums, flickering her eyelashes once, "whatever _sir_ pleases." She teases, leaning into Christian's touch.

Christian lets out a low growl, pushing her against their bedroom wall. Lowering his head, he swiftly pulls off Ana's shirt, leaving her bare, and latches his mouth against one of her nipples, gently sucking.

"Do you know how envious I am of Teddy?" Christian asks, suckling her breasts, tasting the warm milk and making Ana gasp.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana lays her head against Christian's chest and he lovingly smiles down her, tucking an errant piece of hair behind her ear, and Ana hums. "That was nice."

"Hmmm, more than nice." Christian agrees, lightly smacking Ana's butt.

"But we need to get up before Phoebe starts wondering where we are." He says, grinning. "I'm not ready to have to bees and flowers talk with her just yet."

Ana stretches and yawns before rolling her eyes. "Please Christian, you'll murder any boy who even thinks about going near her."

Christian smirks. "Damn right I am. She's going to be celibate all her life if I had my way."

Ana grins as well. "I can't wait till she's a teenager, but then again, I really like your hair, and you're probably going to be bald by that time because you'll be constantly tugging on it."

Christian chuckles, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "You're probably right." He laughs, tapping her butt again. "Come, we need to get ready before everyone gets here."

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rings, and Phoebe claps her hand, all the unhappiness about no tv completely forgotten about as she throws herself at Ray who tosses her up in the air.

Ana goes to hug everyone, and she ruffles Paul's hair. Paul was a teenager now, and Ana can already tell that he'll have girls swooning over him. It made her happy and sad at the same time.

Christian goes to embrace Grace and Carrick, as well as Elliot and Mia.

Soon, everyone is sat around the dinner table, and Teddy is in his high chair next to Ana while Phoebe preferred to sit next to Christian. She was definitely a daddy's girl.

Looking at his family, all smiling and happy, pride wells in Christian's chest. He puts his hand over Ana's fingers, and she beams at him.

"Thank you." He whispers, low enough so only she could here.

"For what?" Ana asks, startled.

"Everything."

 **IMPORTANT:**

 **For my next story:**

 _So, in the original Fsog, I was always fascinated by how Christian starts out cold, cruel, and "heartless" , but then turns into Prince Charming, sort of like beauty and the beast._

 _For both of my stories, The Dominant Girl and Broken Hearted Girl, my initial intention was for CG to be mean, cold-hearted, business oriented, and extremely dominant at first, and then, later on, for him to slowly become the prince, but I found myself in both instances gravitating towards nice, caring CG from the beginning…_

 _I want to challenge myself and redo one of those stories where CG starts out cold and sadistic, but in the end, turns out to be the good guy all along._

 ******** _So here's my question, which story do you want me to redo? Broken Hearted Girl or The Dominant Girl?_

 _In The Dominant Girl, if I would to redo it, CG would be the club owner instead of Ana…(so reverse roles)_

 _And in Broken Hearted Girl, Elena's going to further manipulate Christian, lying about Ana's pas_ _t and faking her as an experienced submissive from the get go, entwining both Ana and CG in lies before the truth comes crashing down..._

 _Or, do you want me to do a completely new story?_

 _Please vote in the comments, and I will also open a vote in the FSOG fanfic obsessed page, or FSOG fanfic followers Facebook page..._

 _PS, I am starting college in a week, so my life is in mayhem right now. I want to wait a month before I post anything so I have a few updates saved, that way, I can update regularly, but rest assured! I will write the story (I promise!)_


	24. New story announcement

**A/n:**

 **The response I got for the last chapter/epilogue was so amazing. I received so many reviews/votes for the new story that I'm about to write that I don't even have enough time to respond to each review like I usually do. I just want to say here that I'm so honored that you guys all enjoyed my writing so much, and truly flattered you guys liked Broken Heart Girl so much. Now, the announcement about which new story I'm going to write (drum roll, please)**

 **The majority (by far) voted for a new story, so I better get busy writing and coming up with a new plot...**

 **Much love, XOXO, Lauren.**


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